IN A PALACE OF REEDS. 123 
river in our shooting, sketching and fishing 
excursions. We endeavored to make pencil 
studies of all the wild-birds in their natural at- 
titudes, drawing them in water-colors after- 
wards from specimens held captive. These 
models we took in springes, traps, and snares 
of various sorts, the horse-hair slip-noose be- 
ing the best for many birds. When the mul- 
berries are ripening you may capture wood- 
peckers readily by erecting a smooth, slender 
pole projecting somewhat above the tree-top 
and having horse-hair slip-nooses, thickly set 
along its sides, for entangling their feet. The 
same capillary arrangement on the branches 
of trees especially haunted by any other bird 
will prove a pretty certain means of ensnar- 
ing it. We took great pains not to hurt our 
captive models and freed them as soon as pos- 
sible. 
Sketching a wild bird in the freedom of the 
woods and brakes is the utmost shorthand 
known to the artist. It must be done with 
all the dash and hurry of phonographic report- 
ing. Five seconds cover a very long stop in a 
bird’s movements, and some of them are never 
still for even that short period of time. I have 
followed one bird, a species of warbler (Sy/vza 
vermivora,) for a full hour before I could get a 
passable outline sketch. In and out among 
the leaves, over and under and round and 
round, it went flitting, peering, prying, a very 
embodiment of restlessness. Such achase has 
in it a smack of excitement, and after it is all 
over a leisurely survey of your sketch-book, leaf 
by leaf, will be both amusing and instructive. 
There is something of inspiration often found 
lurking in lines dashed down upon the paper 
