222 



BIRDS OF LANCASHIRE. 



Vigors), have been procured at various times {Proc. 

 Livcrpod Lit. and Phil. Soc, 1863-64, C. Collingwood), 

 {Mag. Nat. Hist., 1838, J. Skaife), (Zool., 1879, C. S. 

 Gregson) . 



SNIFE-PANTLE. 



'■•- Snipe in winter are often caught on the sonth side of the Eibble 

 in the snares locally called "panties," probably from the Anglo- 

 Norman " panter — a net or snare" (Halliwell, "Archaic Die," 

 1850). They are formed of twisted horsehair, the main line or 

 " rudge " being twelve yards in length, and twenty hairs in thick- 

 ness, and into this the nooses, of two hairs only, and known as 

 *' guelders," are woven in pairs, about three inches apart. The 

 *' rudge " is stretched three inches from the ground, and is fastened 

 to four pegs called " nebs," fourteen inches long, one at each end, 

 and the other two dividing it into three equal lengths or " bows." 

 Putting " guelders " in order for the first time is called " eyeing," 

 and setting them after thej' have been used is " tilling." Snipe 

 and Teal are mostly caught during the night, and in preparing the 

 ground the fowlers shuffle along sideways, with the feet close 

 together, trampling a strip of grass about a foot in width, so that 

 in the darkness it has some resemblance to a narrow plash of 

 water. Sky-Larks, too, are largely taken in panties, the rudge 



