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This article presents an excerpt from the book "Eagle Dreams" by Stephen J. Bodio about hunting with eagles in Mongolia. I am a falconer, among other things, and my love for birds has brought me to many strange places and shown me many strange sights. This day in Mongolia was not my first flight, nor my second, nor my 200th. I have hunted grouse with gyrfalcons on the high plains, and rabbits in industrial junkyards in the eastern cities, hawked on snowshoes in Maine and in sweltering heat in the Sonoran desert. I have corresponded about falconry with an Afghan prince and had an 87-year-old female "eagler" as a houseguest. But I had waited to see the eagle and the fox converge for a long time. Golden eagles are among the three or four largest predatory birds in the world, and perhaps the most biologically successful. We spent all day "hunting the eagle hunters," in Canat's phrase. One time, in a snowy pass, we struck a track: horses, a wolf and a fox, with blood in the fox's footprint! Then, with no warning at all, the eagle was off the glove, stroking, climbing forward.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including the December 13, 1965 cover featuring receiver Lance Alworth, "Sam's Pigeons Leave Nuthin' for Nobody" in the November 22, 195 issue and "The Hunters of the Sky" in the November 8, 1965 issue.

The article discusses the increasing popularity of the sport of falconry in the U.S. Falconers in the country are said to use the same training techniques that have been part of the sport for millennia, as well as Old English terminology. Highlights of the 1964 North American Falconers Association's meeting near Centerville, South Dakota are presented. Ornithologist and falconer Frank Lyman Beebe discusses reasons why falcons are often misunderstood, including their taking of game birds and small mammals.

The article discusses conservation efforts being undertaken in the U.S. for raptor bird species such as falcons, hawks and eagles. It has become illegal to shoot or otherwise maim a raptor or bird of prey and research grants are seen to increase for raptor studies. The increasing popularity of the sport of falconry is described, with responsible and licensed falconers gaining a reputation for helping in the conservation of birds of prey. Factors contributing to the decline in raptor populations are also discussed, such as environmental degradation.

The article profiles artist Francis Golden, who did the illustrations for the reports about falconry and golfer Jack Nicklaus published within the issue. Originally from Adams, Massachusetts, Golden studied at the Museum of Fine Arts School in Boston. Among his earliest jobs was to help Spanish artist Salvador Dali create a mural on the inside wall of a mermaid tank at the first New York World's Fair. He lives with his family in Weston, Connecticut where he indulges his passion for fishing and painting.

In the article, the author discusses the sport of cockfighting, which he claims as one of the oldest sports. He cites the novel "Cockfighter," by Charles Willeford, which he says is a study of human aggressiveness and greed. He presents the opinion of social critic Cleveland Amory about cockfighting. He also talks about the sport of falconry.

The article describes sporting inns and pubs in Great Britain. The establishments are said to be as diverse as the sport each establishment endorses. It is asserted that true sporting pubs should have a group of regular beer-drinking customers with the same sporting interests. Some inns that have been in existence for 2,000 years indicate that falconry and cockfighting were two of the earliest sports enjoyed and practiced by patrons as well as by the kings of England.