534 



A HISTOKI 



they will permit none of their own species to 

 remain in ; they guard their dominions with 

 the most watchful resentment ; and we seldom 

 find two male tenants in the same hedge to- 

 gether. 



Thus, though fitted by nature for the most 

 wandering life, these little animals do not 

 make such distant excursions, during the sea- 

 son of their stay, as the stag or the leveret. 

 Food seems to be the only object that puts them 

 in motion, and when that is provided for them 

 in sufficient plenty, they never wander. But 

 as that is seldom permanent through the year, 

 almost every bird is then obliged to change its 

 abode. Some are called ' irds of passage, be- 

 cause they are obliged to take long journeys 

 for this purpose ; but, strictly speaking, almost 

 every other kind are birds of passage, though 

 their migration may not be to places so re- 

 mote. At some particular season of the year, 

 all small birds migrate either from one country 

 to another, or from the more inland provinces 

 towards the shore. 



There are several persons who get a liveli- 

 hood by watching the seasons when our small 

 birds begin to migrate from one country to 

 another, and by taking them with nets in their 

 passage. The birds are found to fly, as the 

 bird-catchers term it, chiefly during the month 

 of October, and part of September and No- 

 vember. There is also another flight in March, 

 which is much less considerable than that in 

 autumn. Nor is it less remarkable, that seve- 

 ral of these species of flight-birds make their 

 appearance in regular succession. The pippet, 

 for instance, begins its flight every year about 

 Michaelmas, when they are caught in greatest 

 number. To this the wood-lark succeeds, and 

 continues its flight till towards the middle of 

 October ; other birds follow, but are not so 

 punctually periodical; the green-finch does not 

 begin till the frost obliges it to seek for a change. 

 These birds, during those months, fly from 

 day-break till twelve at noon ; and there is 

 afterwards a small flight from two till night. 

 Such are the seasons of the migration of the 

 birds, which have been usually considered as 

 stationary, and on these occasions they are 

 caught in great abundance, as they are on 

 their journey. But the same arts used to al- 

 lurf* them upon other occasions would be 

 utterly fruitless, as they avoid the nets with 

 the most prudent circumspection. The au- 



tumnal flight probably consists of the parents 

 conducting their new-fledged young to (hose 

 places where there is sufficient provision, a^d 

 a proper temperament of the air during t'ae 

 winter season ; and their return in spring is 

 obviously from an attachment to the place 

 which was found so convenient before for the 

 purposes of nestling and incubation 



Autumn is the principal season when the 

 bird-catcher employs his art to catch these 

 wanderers. His nets are a most ingenious 

 piece of mechanism, being generally twelve 

 yarns and a half long, and two yards and a 

 half wide, and so contrived as from a flat po- 

 sition to rise on each side, and clap over the 

 birds that are decoyed to come between them. 

 The birds in their passage are always observed 

 to fly against the wind ; hence there is a great 

 contention among the bird-catchers which 

 shall gain the wind ; for example, if it is 

 westerly, the bird-catcher who lays his nets 

 most to the east, is sure of the most plentiful 

 sport, if his call- birds are good. For this pur- 

 pose, he generally carries five or six linnets, 

 two gold-finches, two green finches, one wood- 

 lark, one red-poll, and perhaps a bull finch, a 

 yellow-hammer, a tit-lark, and an aberdavine: 

 these are placed at small distances from the 

 nets in little cages. He has besides what he 

 calls his Jlur-birds, which are placed upon a. 

 moveable perch, which the bird-catcher can 

 raise at pleasure by moans of a string ; and 

 these he always lifts gently up and down as 

 the wild bird approaches. But this is not 

 enough to allure the wild bird down ; it must 

 be called by one of the call-birds in the cages; 

 and these, by being made to moult prema- 

 turely in a warm cage, call louder and better 

 than those that are wild and at freedom. 

 There even appears a malicious joy in these 

 call-birds to bring the wild ones into the same 

 state of captivity, while at the same time their 

 call is louder, and their plumage brighter, than 

 in a state of nature. Nor is their sight or 

 hearing less exquisite, far exceeding that of 

 the bird-catcher ; for the instant the wild birds 

 are perceived, notice is given by one to the 

 rest of the call-birds, who all unite in the same 

 tumultuous ecstacy of pleasure. The call 

 birds do not sing upon these occasions as a 

 bird does in a chamber, but incite the wild 

 ones by short jerks, which, when the birds are 

 good, may be heard at a great distance. The 



