10G 



'IGEONS. 



shelf outside of the loft, is a trap made of laths. It has two sides 

 and a front only, the wall of the loft forming the back; the 

 front and sides act upon Hnges, so that they may be thrown 



, ERIK OPEN. 



open, and laid flat on tlu platform, as in the above figure 

 A, B, C and on the upper parts of these flaps are fastened 

 strings, united to a single string in the middle of the trap; the 

 string is carried over the swivel E, at the top of the machine, 

 to a hiding place, whence the owner can see all that passes, 

 and when a bird alights within the aerie, he jerks the string, 

 the flaps are elevated, and the bird is immediately a prisoner. 

 The aerie, when shut, prp ents the appearance shown in the 

 following illustration. This kind of trap is used not only by 



AERIE CLOSED. 



fanciers, but by amateurs, and is an important appendage to 

 the loft, both as a means of self-defence to secure strays and 

 to shut in their own birds. Among amateur fanciers, the first- 

 rn^ntioned purpose is to secure valuable and favorite breeds 

 from being deteriorated through stray birds of no value pairing 



