122 Bird Catching In India. 



is to place! call birds near a field of some low crop, and, just 

 before dawn, to drag a net over the crop as one drags a 

 carpet along the ground. This causes the Quail in the field 

 to move on la little in advance of the net. When the net nears 

 the end of the field the Quail do nort: break into thelopefn but 

 remain in doubt as to what to do. The net is then suddenly 

 pulled down at the four corners and held down. In this way 

 numbers of ciuail become caught in it. 



A more ingenious "method of catching Quail is largely 

 resorted to in the Central Provinces. Th - appaiatus C)ns:sts 

 of a circular net about six feet long and with a diameter of 

 about ten inches. This net is closed at one end to form a 

 cnl dc sac. It is provided with pegs so that it ran be 

 speedily pegged to the ground and form a trap into which 

 the Quail can run. The remainder of the apparatus consists 

 of a serie-i of frames, each of which is about two feet long 

 and one foot broad. Across each a net is lightly stretched. 

 There are usually twelve of these frames. These are joined 

 together by hinges to form two. series of si.\, which can be 

 folded up so that the total length is but two feet, or opened 

 out and stuck into th? ground so that the total length of each 

 series is twelve feet. The quail-catcher thus armed sets out 

 to a likely place for (juail and, by imitating their call, he 

 attracts a number to the \icinity. He then proceeds to peg 

 out his apparatus. He pegs down first one series of netted 

 frames, then, at the other end of this, the ciil-de-snc net. 

 Lastly the second series of netted frames is joined \.o this and 

 pegged out. The two series are arranged so tha^ they form 

 a very wide \' with the cat de sac at the ape.\. Having set 

 the net" snarer walks quietly oflf and makes a detour so as 

 to put the Quail between himself and the trap. The next 

 step i s for him quietly to approach the net by walking to 

 and fro, each line in the zig-zag bringing him nearer the 

 nets. Thus he drives the Quail towards the net. When they 

 reach this they do not attempt to jump over it, but run 

 along it towards the cut de sac. They do not run in the 

 opposite direction, because to do so would bring them nearer 

 the man from whom they are running away. Eventually the 

 birds all find themselves in the cut de sac, where they are 



