140 CATALOGUE OF BIRDS. 



tend to say,* but all my informants agreed in the fact 

 that there was every year a great falling off in the 

 number of birds so taken. 



A fall of snow and a cold wind from the north-west 

 is certain to bring enormous flights of Larks and other 

 birds along the south coast ; they all appear intent on 

 making their way from east to west, occasionally 

 passing in continued streams from daylight till dark. 

 The Larks are usually the first birds to show ; a slight 

 covering of snow being sufficient to move them, while 

 it requires a few days' continuance of severe weather 

 before Fieldfares, Redwings, and Blackbirds appear in 

 any numbers. 



At such times the whole of the bird- catching fraternity 

 of Brighton are engaged in the work of destruction. 

 Should a strong cold wind from the north-west be blow- 

 ing, the course of the birds is close to the ground, and 

 thousands are captured in the nets. There is consider- 

 able competition for what are considered the best 

 pitches, numbers of men leaving Brighton shortly after 

 midnight, and depositing their packs on the ground 

 they intend to occupy, to reserve the spot ; they seek 

 what shelter they can till daylight behind some bank or 

 stack. From thirty to fifty dozen are commonly cap- 

 tured, and the takes not unfrequently reach as high 

 as eighty dozen. 



I have myself seen over 200 clap-nets at work on a 



* I afterwards learned from an old man, who declared lie was 

 on board at the time, that the above statement ^Yas perfectly 

 true. He also added that 600 of the bu-ds, which were princi- 

 pally Larks, were put into one gigantic pie. I have a shght 

 recollection of seeing an account of this fact in some paper, which 

 published the history of the light-ships of the eastern coast. 



