117 THE TRIGANICA. 



Trattare, or Gustare, is the giving of grain to the pigeons 

 when they have descended, as a reward for having been obe- 

 dient in their flight to the signals of the Triganiere. 



Tirar giu niente, is the recalling of the flock of pigeons by 

 their master when they do not obey his signals, without 

 giving them food, the better to incite them to obedience. 



Andare indietro spalla, is to feign to send the pigeons to 

 mingle with others, and, when they have almost mingled, to 

 call them back suddenly, with the probability of some of the 

 pigeons of the other bands returning with them. 



Dare la mano, is the act of taking up the strange pigeons 

 which have perched on the platform with the pigeons of the 

 Triganiere. 



When Yandelli wrote, the sport was carried on in four 

 ways. First, on the terms of good friendship, in which a 

 reciprocal restitution of captives was made without compen- 

 sation. Second, on the terms of fair battle, by the redemp- 

 tion of the captives at a price agreed upon by the combatants. 

 Third, on declared war, when the pigeons were taken with 

 impunity, and with no obligation on the part of the captor 

 to restore them. And, fourth, on war to the last drop of 

 blood, when the captive was immediately hung from the 

 platform in full sight of the dovecote of the adversary ; or 

 there was attached to its tail a little bottle of gunpowder, 

 in which a fuse was placed, and then, when the enemy sent 

 out his pigeons, the captive was let loose, after the fuse had 

 been fired, so that, when it arrived in the midst of the flight, 

 the bottle burst, and many of the pigeons near were killed 

 or wounded. 



In the present day, however, such cruel reprisals are not prac- 

 tised, and the sport is generally carried on a lira, or on the terms 

 of the redemption of captives at the rate of a Modenese lira. 



I am indebted to the Italian books to be mentioned in the 

 Appendix for the foregoing information on the Triganieri, and 

 chiefly to Malmusi's "Dei Triganieri," 1851. 



