24:2 AMERICAN GAME. 



called a figure four, they are caught alive in hollow 

 traps." This we, of course, merely mention as illus- 

 trative of the habits of the bird ; for, of course, no sports- 

 man would dream of resorting to so worse than poacher- 

 like proceeding. The mode described by the eloquent 

 pioneer of American natural history, is probably prac- 

 tised, for the most part, by the negroes for the supply 

 of their masters' table, and furnishing their own pockets 

 with a little extra change, and is not used by the plant- 

 ers as a means of sport or amusement. It must be 

 remembered, also, that "Wilson, than whom there is no 

 writer more to be relied on in matters which '^he relates 

 of his own knowledge, and as occurring in his own days, 

 must often be taken cum grano salis, as to the numbers 

 of birds slain in this way or that within a certain time 

 things which he records, probably, on hearsay, and on 

 which we are sorry to say it even good sportsmen, 

 men who on any other subject would scorn to deviate 

 one hair's breadth from the truth, will not hesitate to 

 draw a bow as long and as strong as Munchausen's. 

 Again, he writes of times when sporting was but little 

 pursued, otherwise than as a method of procuring supe- 

 rior food for the table, or for the purpose of destroying 

 noxious vermin and beasts of prey ; when the rules of 

 sportsmanship were little understood and as little re- 

 garded ; and, lastly, when game abounded to a degree 

 literally inconceivable in our day although we have 

 ourselves seen, with sorrow, the diminution, amounting 



