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<br />.. _, <br />A creance is a long, light line which is tied to the swivel or jesses. This is used only <br />when training the bird to fly between a perch and the fist, as an assurance that the bird <br />will not be lost in these early stages. The "bitter' end is most often wound around the <br />spindle like a kite string, and can be wound or unwound with a single hand. This <br />provides a means of storing the creance, and also provides a drag weight should the <br />bird decide to fly off. <br />Housing <br />A falconry bird is usually housed in a mews. Mews in the US have to be inspected <br />for compliance with federal and state laws. These laws ensure that the facilities meet <br />what is required to safely and humanely house a bird of prey. The mews (along with <br />other perching equipment) are carefully designed to prevent bodily injury and <br />especially feather damage. The laws and regulations generally prescribe <br />characteristics that would allow a captive raptor some measure of security and health <br />maintenance in the absence of an attentive experienced falconer. The mews may be <br />used as afree-flight arrangement (especially during the summer molt or change of <br />feathers) or it may provide a place for tethering the raptor during the night --during the <br />day, when not actually hunting, the bird might be kept perched on a grassy lawn. <br />Much depends on the species of raptor, the housing of the falconer, the weather, and <br />the style of keeping, training and hunting. The less a bird is hunted, the more important <br />4 <br />