194 THE WOOD-PIGEON 



and the wood-pigeons accustomed to feed, the catcher awaits in 

 ambush the coming of the birds. A wood-pigeon picking up a 

 bristled pea tries to swallow it, when the bristle ends stick in the 

 throat, and the bird is so anxious to get the pea up or down that the 

 person in ambush may readily do the rest." Of this plan we have 

 no experience, but the inventor vouches for its effectiveness, and it 

 certainly has a " look " of usefulness for using in winter time in a 

 turnip or cabbage-field to lessen the plague of wood-pigeons that 

 reach Britain from the Continent. 



On freshly-sown corn, the " bristled pea," or maize would probably 

 be objected to by game preservers, also the spring trap, which is 

 not allowed by law to be set in the open, though it frequently is, 

 and all goes smoothly unless winged or ground game are victimized. 

 In gardens, private or market, allotments, and small holdings, 

 there is little dread, of game being endangered, and even in fields 

 it is very rare that either winged or ground game come to grief, 

 apart from the game preserver's imaginary captures. Amongst 

 fresh-sown corn or seed of any sort, and amongst young plants, wood- 

 pigeons are perfect gourmands, and a stop, game or no game, must 

 be put to their depredations. For this purpose we commend the 

 Wire Spring Rabbit Trap (Fig. 114), with spring of medium strength. 



The great consideration in connexion with the spring trap in this 

 relation is the closing of the jaws, whether notched or flat, for if 

 they close within an eighth of an inch, or quite close, the leg of the 

 pigeon caught will simply be cut off and the bird will fly away. 

 To obviate this, string may be bound round the jaws, each turn lying 

 in a notch, tarred string being used. The trap called " Humane " 

 with india-rubber ribbed covered jaws holds the leg without break- 

 ing it. Of course, if the plate of the trap is baited with some corn, 

 the pigeon is caught by the neck and soon dies, so that the jaws of 

 the trap are not of such importance as for leg trapping. 



In newly-sown cornfields wood-pigeons usually make miniature 

 clearings of circular form, the centre part being more divested of 

 corn than the outer. Traps should be set about these clearings 

 about 2 yards apart, and covered over with soil, hiding every part 

 of trap, including the fastening. If baited about six grains of corn 

 will need to be placed on the table, with a few here and there round 

 about, though some trappers make a point of picking up grain with- 

 in a yard of the trap. 



When a bird is caught, the remainder not in the same predica- 

 ment will take their departure with great promptitude. The 

 traps should be visited about the middle of the forenoon and again 

 as the day begins to wear off. If the wood-pigeons take to another 

 part of the field, which is very unlikely, unless a large one, traps 

 should be set there. Rooks may be trapped on newly-sown corn 

 in the same way as wood-pigeons ; but as they roam more about the 

 field than the latter, the traps must be more widely distributed 



