CHAPTER III. 



ANCIENT METHODS OF CAPTURING WILD-FOWL, 



[_Contimied.^ 



" With seeds and birdlime from the desert air, 

 Euinelus gather'd free, though scanty, fare. 

 No lordly patron's hand he deign'd to kiss ; 

 No luxury knew — save liberty — nor bliss. 

 Thrice thirty years he Uved, and to his heirs 

 His seeds bequeath'd — his birdlime, and his snares." 



Translation by Milton. 



There was also a method much in vogaie, previously to the inven- 

 tion or discovery of decoys, of taking wild-fowl with lime-string's,* 

 made of pack-thread or string-, knotted in various ways, and be- 

 smeared with bird-lime ; these were set in rows about fens, moors, 

 and other feeding haunts of the birds, an hour or two before morning, 

 or evening twilight. The plan was to procure a number of small 

 stakes, about two feet in length, sharpened to a point at the nether 

 end, and forked at the upper. These were pricked out in rows about 

 a yard or two apart, some being placed in a slanting direction, and 

 each stake siding one with another within convenient distances, of 

 four or five yards, so as to bear up the strings, which were laid 

 upon the crutches, and placed loosely about eighteen inches above 

 the ground. The lime- strings were thus drawn from stake to stake 

 in various directions, and lightly placed between the forks at the top 

 of the stakes, some rows being higher than others ; and in this man- 

 ner the whole space occupied by the stakes was covered with lime- 

 strings, as if carelessly laid in wave-like coils, or placed in different 

 directions, the ends being secured to the stakes with slip-knots, so 

 that upon slight strain, the whole of any string which might be 

 touched by the bird became instantly loose ; and sticking to the 

 feathers, the more it struggled to free itself, so much the more the 

 string twisted about it : and thus the bird was quickly entangled, 

 and became an easy prey. In this manner numbers of wild- 



* Hunger's Prevention. Blome's Gents. Kec. 



