BIRD-CATCHING. 



530 



pro usrd at our tables, is in the night, with those nets 

 which are called trammels. These are usually made 

 of thirty- six yards in length, and about six yards over, 

 with six ribs of packthread, which at the ends are put 

 upon poles of about sixteen feet long, and made less 

 at each end. These are to be drawn over the ground 

 by two men, and every five or six steps the net is 

 made to touch the ground, otherwise it will pass 

 over the birds without touching them, and they will 

 escape. When they are felt to fly up against the net, 

 it is clapped down, and then all are safe that are un- 

 der it. The darkest nights are properest for this 

 sport ; and the net will not only take larks, but all 

 other birds that roost on the ground ; among which 

 are woodcocks, snipes, partridges, quails, field-fares, 

 and several others. In the depth of winter, people 

 sometimes take great numbers of larks by nooses 

 of horse-hair. The other method is this : take one 

 hundred or two hundred yards of packthread; 

 fasten at every six inch a noose made of double 

 horse hair ; at every twenty yards the line is to 

 be pegged down to the ground, and so lefc ready 

 to take them. The time to use this is when the 

 ground is covered with snow, and the larks are to be 

 allured to it by some white oats scattered all the way 

 among the nooses. They must be taken away as 

 soon as three or four are hung, otherwise the rest will 

 be frighted ; but though the others are scared away, 

 just where the sportsman comes, they will be feeding 

 at the other end of the line, and the sport may be 

 thus continued for a long time. Those caught in the 

 day are taken in clap-nets of fifteen yards long, and 

 two and a half in breadth ; and are enticed within 

 their reach by means of bits of looking-glass, fixed 

 in a piece of wood, and placed in the middle of the 

 nets, which are put in a quick whirling motion, by a 

 string the larker commands ; he also makes use of a 

 decoy lark. These nets are used only till the 14th 

 November : for the larks will not dare to frolic in 

 the air, except in fine sunny weather ; and of course 

 cannot be inveigled into the snare. When the wea- 

 ther grows gloomy, the larker changes his engine, 

 anil makes use of a trammel net, twenty-seven or 

 twenty-eight feet long, and five broad ; which is put 

 on two poles, eighteen feet long, and carried by men 

 under each arm, who pass over the fields, and quarter 

 the ground as a setting dog : when they hear or feel 

 a lark hit the net, they drop it down, and by those 

 means the birds are secured. 



The inhabitants of each cluster of the Orkney isles 

 feed principally during the season on the eggs of the 

 birds of the cliffs. The method of taking them is so 

 very hazardous, as to demonstrate the extremities to 

 which the poor are occasionally driven for want of 

 food. Copinsha, I lunda, Hoy, Foula, and Nosshead, 

 are the most celebrated rocks ; and the neighbouring 

 natives the most expert climbers and adventurers 

 after the game of the precipice. The height of some 

 is above fifty fathoms ; their faces roughened with 

 shelves or ledges sufficient only for the birds to rest 

 and lay their eggs on. To these the dauntless fow- 

 lers will ascend, pass intrepidly from the one to the 

 other, collect the eggs and birds, and descend with 

 the same indifference. In most places the attempt is 

 made from above : they are lowered from the slop 

 contiguous to the brink by a rope, sometimes made 

 of straw, sometimes of the bristles of the hog : they 

 prefer the last even to ropes of hemp, as it is not li- 

 able to be cut by the sharpness of the rocks ; the 

 former is apt to untwist. They trust themselves to a 

 single assistant, who lets his companion down, and 

 holds the rope, depending on his strength alone ; 

 which often fails, and the adventurer is sure to be 

 dashed to pieces, or drowned in the subjacent sea. 

 The rope is often shifted from place to place, with 



the impending weight of the fowler and his booty. 

 The person above receives signals for the purpose, 

 his associate being far out of sight ; who, during the 

 operation, by help of a staff, springs from the face of 

 the rocks, to avoid injury from the projecting parts. 



But the most singular species of bird-catching is on 

 the holm of Noss, a vast rock severed from the isl 

 of Noss by some unknown convulsion, and only about 

 sixteen fathoms distant. It is of the same stupendous 

 height as the opposite precipice, with a raging sea 

 between ; so that the intervening chasm is or match- 

 less horror. Some adventurous climber has reached 

 the rock in a boat, gained the height, and fastened 

 several stakes on the small portion of earth which is 

 to be found on the top ; correspondent stakes are 

 placed on the edge of the correspondent cliffs. A 

 rope is fixed on the stakes on both sides, along which 

 a machine called a cradle, is contrived to slide ; and, 

 by the help of a small parallel cord, fastened in like 

 manner, the adventurer wafts himself over, and re- 

 turns with his booty. 



The manner by which bird-catching in the Feroe 

 islands is performed is so very strange and hazardous, 

 that we should by no means omit to describe it. Ne- 

 cessity compels mankind to wonderful attempts. The 

 cliffs which contain the objects of their search are 

 often two hundred fathoms in height, and are attempt- 

 ed from above and below. In the first case, the fow- 

 lers provide themselves with a rope eighty or a 

 hundred fathoms in length. The fowler fastens one 

 end about his waist and between his legs, recom- 

 mends himself to the protection of the Almighty, and 

 is lowered down by six others, who place a piece of 

 timber on the margin of the rock, to preserve the 

 rope from wearing against the sharp edge. They 

 have besides a small line fastened to the body of 

 the adventurer, by which he gives signals that tiiey 

 may lower or raise him, or shift him from place to 

 place. The last operation is attended with great 

 danger, by the loosening of the stones, which often 

 fall on his head, and would infallibly destroy him, 

 were it not protected by a strong thick cap ; but even 

 that is found unequal to save him against the weight 

 of the larger fragments of rock. The dexterity of 

 these men is amazing; they will place their feet 

 against the front of the precipice, and dart themselves 

 some fathoms from it, with a cool eye survey the 

 places where the birds nestle, and again shoot into 

 their haunts. In some places the birds lodge in deep 

 recesses. The fowler will alight there, disengage 

 himself from the rope, fix it to a stone, and at his lei- 

 sure collect the booty, fasten it to his girdle, and re- 

 sume his pendulous seat. At times he will again 

 spring from the rock, and, in that attitude, with a 

 fowling-net placed at the end of a staff, catch the old 

 birds which are flying to and from their retreats. 

 When he has finished this dreadful employ, he gives 

 a signal to his friends above, who pull him up, and 

 share the hard-earned profit. The feathers are pre- 

 served for exportation : the flesh is partly eaten fresh, 

 but the greater portion is dried for provision during 

 the winter. 



The method of fowling from below has also its 

 share of danger. The party goes on the expedition 

 in a boat,; and when it has attained the base of 

 the precipice, one of the most daring, having fas- 

 tened a rope about his waist, and furnished himself 

 with a long pole, with an iron hook at one end, 

 either climbs or is thrust up by his companions, who 

 place a pole under his breech, to the next footing 

 spot he can reach. He, by means of the rope, brings 

 up one of the boat's crew ; the rest are drawn up in 

 the same manner, and each is furnished with his rope 

 and fowling-staff. They then continue their progress 

 upwards in the same manner, till they arrive at the 

 3 vz 2 



