94 THE IMPORTANCE OF BIRD LIFE 



ing the second half of the last century was pigeon- 

 shooting. It also had a firm foothold in the 

 United States for the last few years of that period, 

 but societies for the prevention of cruelty, and 

 the invention of clay " birds," soon forced it into 

 the background. The sport of breaking these 

 imitation birds now has far more adherents than 

 ever were attached to live pigeon-shooting. The 

 " birds " are merely concave disks of darkened 

 clay strengthened by the addition of certain tar 

 products, which gives them a partial resistance to 

 the impact of fine bird-shot. They are flung 

 swiftly through the air by spring machines and 

 afford an excellent flying target. To break one 

 it is necessary to strike it with several pellets of 

 shot. 



Doubtless live pigeon-shooting afforded much 

 diversion to the marksmen, but the same cannot 

 be said of the victims. Considerable variation 

 occurred in the methods employed by different 

 clubs. The most general rule, however, was for 

 the shooter to stand in the center of a sixty-foot 

 ring of traps containing birds. Strings ran 

 from the traps to the middle of the circle, and 

 a jerk served to release the prisoners. The 

 marksman was supposed to kill the pigeons 

 within a set distance of the traps. Therefore, 

 any wounded individuals which happened to fall 

 out of bounds were not counted in the score. 

 Those which escaped were free to roam at will 



