246 HISTORY OF 



casions would be utterly fruitless, as they avoid 

 the nets with the most prudent circumspection. 

 The autumnal flight probably consists of the pa- 

 rents conducting their new-fledged young to those 

 places where there is sufficient provision, and a 

 proper temperament of the air during the winter 

 season : and their return in spring is obviously 

 from an attachment to the place whicli 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. 

 IJis nets are a most ingenious piece of mechanism, 

 being generally twelve yards and a half long, and 

 two yards and a half wide, and so contrived as 

 from a flat position to rise on each side, and clap 

 over the birds that are decoyed .to come between 

 them. The birds in their passage are always ob- 

 served to fly against the wind j 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 

 eat, is sure of the most plentiful sport, if his call- 

 birds are goocj- For this purpose, he generally 

 carries five or six linnets, two goldfinches, two 

 greenfinches, one woodlark, one redpoll, and per- 

 haps a bullfinch, a yellow-hammer, a titlark, and 

 an aberdavine : these are placed at small 4is- 

 tances 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 means of a string ; 

 and these he always lifts gently up and down as 



