820 HisrouY OF 



of passage, because they are obliged to take long journeys for 

 this purpose ; but, strictly speaking, almost every other kind are 

 birds of passage, though their migration may not be to places sc 

 remote. At some particular season of the year all small birds 

 migrate either from one country to another, or from the more 

 inland provinces towards the shore. 



There are several persons who get a livelihood by watching 

 the seasons when our small birds begin to migrate from on€ 

 county to another, and by taking them with nets in their pas- 

 sage. The birds are found to fly, as the bird-catchers term it, 

 chielly during the month of October, and part of September and 

 November. There is also another flight in March, which is 

 mu«h less considerable than that in autumn. Nor is it less re- 

 markable, that several of these species of flight-birds make their 

 appearance in regular succession. The pippet, for instance, be- 

 gins his flight every year about Michaelmas, when they are 

 caught in greatest number. To this the wood-lark succeeds, 

 and continues its flight till towards the middle of October ; other 

 birds follow, but are not so punctually periodical ; the green- 

 finch does not begin till the frost obliges it to seek for a change. 

 These birds, during those months, fly from day-break till twelve 

 noon ; and there is afterwards a small flight from two till night. 

 Such are the seasons of the migration of the birds, which have 

 been usually considered as stationary, and on these occasions 

 they are caught in great abundance, as they are on their journey. 

 But the same arts used to allure them upon other occasions 

 would be utterly fruitless, as they avoid the nets with the most 

 prudent circumspection. The autumnal flight probably consists 

 of the parents conducting their new-fledged young to those 

 places where there is sufficient provision, and a proper tempera- 

 ment of the air during the winter season ; and their return in 

 spring is obviously from an attachment to the place which was 

 found so convenient before for the purposes of nestling and in- 

 cubation. 



Autumn is the principal season when the bird-catcher em- 

 ploys his art to catch these wanderers. His nets are a most 

 ingenious piece of mechanism, being generally twelve yai'ds 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. Tiic birds in their 



