30 BIRD-CA TC11ING. 



little forked stick, half a finger long, well covered 

 with birdlime; thus prepared, he fastens him under 

 the tree on which the one he is watching is perched ; 

 this no sooner sees and hears the false rival than he 

 becomes enraged, pounces on him like a bird of prey, 

 and is caught with the birdlime ; his attack is often, 

 so violent that sometimes the bird of call is killed by 

 the stroke of its adversary. The following is a surer 

 method: A soft, narrow leather band is fastened 

 round a male, to which is attached a string a foot 

 long, fastened by a peg, which allows it but a short 

 space to range. This bird, as we have aready said, is 

 called, in bird-catchers' language, a percher. A circle 

 of birdlime is made just beyond its reach, and a cage 

 with a chaffinch, accustomed to sing either in the 

 shade or exposed, is placed under a neighbouring 

 bush ; as soon as this last begins his song, which 

 should be a natural one, not any learned in confine- 

 ment, the chaffinch that is to be procured darts from 

 the tree like an arrow on the percher, which it mis- 

 takes for the songster, and remains fixed by the bird- 

 lime. This new prisoner will sing the same year if it 

 is caught before Whitsuntide ; if after, it will never 

 sing, but will die, evidently from grief at being sepa- 

 rated from its female and young ones. A bird-catcher, 

 cruel as he is stupid, who, without the least reflection, 

 only thinks of gratifying his ridiculous passion for 

 bird-catching, may in an hour deprive ten or twelve 

 females of their beloved companions, their protectors, 

 and numerous young ones of their father, purveyor, 

 and support; such thoughtless cruelty is, alas ! only 

 too common. As soon as the young chaffinches have 

 left the nest, the bird-catchers are very active in dis- 

 covering the places where at noon they are accus- 

 tomed to drink ; there they set perches covered with 

 birdlime, and by this means many of these little un- 

 wary creatures are taken. 



