Bird Catching: In India. 139 



Bird Catching in India. 



By Doi^glas Dewar, F.Z.S.. I.C.S. 

 (Continued from pacre 124). 



In the breeding season ilie professional partridgie 

 catchers issue forth and collect all the eg-gs they can find 

 and hatch th:-ni under domestic hens. Young Partridges can 

 run the moment they leave the ^^^, but when first hatched 

 their Tnovements are slow so that many of the young birds 

 are captured by those searching for eggs. 



As every one knows, capti\e Partridges become very 

 tame. No sight in India is commoner than that of a Part- 

 ridge running along the road after its master, who carries its 

 cage. Sometimes these tame birds are taken out into the 

 fields where their cries attract wild birds which at once 

 begin to fight them. \\'hen engag-ed in the fight the wild 

 bird is captured by throwing a net o\-er it or even by seizing 

 it with the hand. 



A method of snaring Partridges, Peafowl, and 

 even Crows which is largely resorted to in Rohilkand is 

 to make a number of nooses of twisted horsehair. 

 Each of these nooses, which must be sufficiently stiff 

 to stand upright, is attached to a wooden peg. The pegs 

 are connected with one another by means of string, some two 

 feet of string separating each peg. When all is ready the 

 shikari winds the string, to which the pegs and nooses are 

 attached round his waist. He then sallies forth with a pony, 

 until he comes near the place where his prospcctiv<> victims 

 are feeding. Tlic next step i-> for him to crouch behind the 

 pony and c|ui<'lly push tlu- pegs into the ground, so that, 

 when the operation is finished, he has set up a line of upright 

 nooses projecting from the ground. lie then moves on and 

 makes a < ircuit so as to put the quarry between himsell and 

 tho linj. of nooses. The final step is to drive the victims to 

 th;' nooses— a feat not difficult to accomplish. 



.Another method of securing Partridges is similar to that 

 used ior (.)uail, namely by setting up a net at the end of 

 a field, attracting the victims to the field by means of call 

 birds and then driving them into the net. 



Major (iotlwin Austen gi\e^ the following account of 



