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Training and Equipment Training raptors (birds of prey) is a complex undertaking. Books containing hundreds of pages of information and advice by experienced falconers are still rudimentary at best. Many important details vary between individual raptors, species of raptors and between places and times. Unfortunately, without mentoring by an experienced falconer, raptors may be illegally taken and kept, and can be harmed by uneducated pseudo-falconers. Rather than attempt to train a raptor using only Internet resources and books, it is wise to find experienced falconers and volunteer or apprentice with them; in point of fact, the keeping and training of any raptor is strictly and tightly regulated by U.S. state and federal laws -anyone interested in flying raptors must seek out a state and federally licensed falconer to sponsor them through an apprenticeship period lasting one year at a minimum, and often considerably longer. The bird wears a bell, or pair of bells, on its legs (attached via small leather strips called bewits,) which can be heard from a surprising distance. An identity band is worn on the leg as well in most countries, and the bird sports strips of strong leather (nowadays often kangaroo) called jesses on both legs. Very often, the bird also wears a telemetry transmitter, so that it may be recovered if lost during free flight. Falcons (the long-wing family of raptors) are tethered perched on a block, while large owls (during training only), short-winged and broad-winged hawks are tethered to a bow perch or round perch, when not allowed to fly free in their mews, an Old English word for a raptor's chamber. (The term is "mews" whether singular or plural.) There are two styles of jesses: traditional, which is a single strap specially knotted onto the bird; and Aylmeri, a two part restraint featuring an anklet that is grommeted on, and a removable jess strap. Some Aylmeri jess straps have dental rubberbands on them to make it more difficult for the bird to pull out the jess, but they are still removable should the bird get caught up outdoors The singular of'jesses" is correctly jess", but one jess is often mistakenly called a Jessie", by wrong back-formation from "jesses" treated as 'jessies", which would be pronounced the same. Nylon Aylmeri jesses have recently grown in popularity. Thinner, lighter, and stronger, they do not rot or require oiling to remain supple. The anklets are grommetted on, like their leather counterparts, but instead of a folded button keeping the straps from falling through the anklets, a knot is used. The end of the knot is melted with a flame to keep it from fraying. In order to form the loops the swivel or clips will attach to, a nylon parachute cord is hollowed out, threaded up through itself using an awl, and knotted. The purpose of the swivel is to prevent tangling and twisting of the leash or tether when the bird is active but not hunting. The swivel consists of two parts that twist freely, 2