F Song- Bird Fowlers, 163 



still some districts in the country more or less covered 

 with forest, and which on account of ancient rights 

 cannot be enclosed. Here the art of noosing lingers ; 

 the loop being insidiously slipped over the bird's head 

 while at roost. By constant practice a wonderful 

 dexterity may be acquired in this trick ; men will 

 snare almost any bird in broad daylight. With many 

 birds a favourite place for a nest is in a hollow tree, 

 access being had by a decayed knothole, and they 

 are sometimes noosed as they emerge. A thin 

 flexible copper wire is said to be substituted for large 

 game. This method of capture peculiarly suits the 

 views of the ornithologist, with whom it is an object 

 to avoid the spoiling of feathers by shot. 



Every now and then a bird-catcher comes along 

 decoying the finches from the hedges, for* sale as 

 cage-birds in London. Some of these men, without 

 any mechanical assistance, can imitate the ' call ' note 

 of the bird they desire to capture so as to deceive the 

 most practised ear. These fellows are a great nui- 

 sance, and will completely sweep a lane of all the 

 birds whose song makes them valuable. In this way 

 some localities have been quite cleared of goldfinches, 

 which used to be common. The keepers, of course, 

 will not permit them on private property ; but in all 

 rural districts there are wide waste spaces — as where 



