276 



WITH XATUIiE AXD A CAMERA. 



out early in the morning for the Downs with the 

 prospect of a capital day for our })ur})ose before us. 

 The first man we fell in with was catching 

 Starlings on a piece of bare pasture land, and ex- 

 plained that sucli a pitch was the most favourable 

 for his kind of sport. The presence of grazing 

 Horses, Cows, or Sheep, although these were liable 

 to walk on to his nets, he considered a great 



CLAP-NETS AND DUMMY bTARLINGS. 



advantage, as Starlings wlien feeding are partial 

 to the neighbourhood of live stock. 



The nets used for catching Starlings, Larks, and 

 Linnets are larger than those employed for securing 

 Goldfinches or Bullfinches, and measure as nnicli as 

 sixty-six feet in length by six feet three inches in 

 width. Attaclied to each end of the nets is a green- 

 painted stave, whicli is secured on its inner end to 

 a peg firmly driven into tlie ground. The fastening 

 between tlie })eg and tlie stave is sucli ;is to form 

 an easy liiuge. Tlie pull-line is so disposed lliat it 

 acts u\)o\\ the outer ends of the stave-})oles directly 



