232 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



resident breeding birds. The number of sijecies observed in Heligo- 

 land amounts to nineteen, among these being two species new to 

 Europe, viz. T. lividus and T. rufus. Another small American 

 species, T. sivainsoni, was, at the time of its capture at least, 

 new to Europe, but has since then once been shot in Holstein. 



Some of the species, notably the Song Thrush and Blackbird, 

 are also caught here for purposes of consumption. It is strange, 

 however, that there exists in Heligoland no special method for 

 catching the Fieldfare (T. ^5 ;7«7';'s, L.), which is almost everywhere 

 else the principal species captured for this purpose. These birds 

 are caught here or shot only in exceptional cases. One would of 

 course include the Ring Ousel (Tardus torquatus, L.) among the 

 species sought after for the table ; and this large fat bird is indeed 

 in great demand among our fowlers, but unfortunately it visits 

 Heligoland in by no means large numbers, and then only frequents, 

 by preference, the steep walls and upper edges of the rocks ; the 

 bird is, moreover, so shy and watchful that it is difficult to approach 

 it even with the gun. 



All the Thrushes are caught here by means of nets. The bait, 

 strange as it may appear, is formed by a few dry shrubs stuck 

 in the earth. The manner of constructing a snare arrangement 

 of this kind is as foUows : a space about twenty feet long, and 

 from six to eight feet broad, is surrounded by a fencing of bushes, 

 ten feet high, and placed fairly close together, so that there is just 

 room enough left between them to allow the Thrushes to run com- 

 fortably through at the bottom. 



The bushes forming one of the long sides of this arrangement 

 are put up perpendicularly, those of the opposite side in such a 

 manner as to incline towards them. Over this latter side a strong 

 net is stretched, reaching from the top of the bushes to within two 

 feet from the ground, and enclosing one side of the enclosure in a 

 long semicircle ; a second net, of strong thread loosely strung on a 

 line, is stretched tightly by means of the latter round the lower 

 portion of the same side of the throstle-bush a little above the 

 lower edge of the first net, and also like the latter forms an extensive 

 semicircle round the side of the throstle-bush. Below, however, 

 this net is spread loosely on the ground for a distance of about six 

 feet from the bottom of the bushes : in this manner the depth of 

 the whole arrangement is considerably increased. 



The bushes must be set up in such a manner that they may be 

 visible to the birds from some distance, and that there is nothing 

 which might impede their fiight towards the open uunetted side. 

 Green bushes, if accessible, will of course attract the birds in a con- 

 siderably higher degree. In somewhat sheltered gardens, like 



