BIRD-CATCHING. 



is contrived to slide ; and, by the help of 

 a small parallel cord, fastened in like man- 

 ner, ihe adventurer wafts himself over, 

 and returns with his booty. 



The manner of bird-catching, in the 

 Feroe islands, is very strange and hazard- 

 ous. Necessity compels mankind to won- 

 derful attempts. The cliffs which con- 

 tain the objects of their search are often 

 two hundred fathoms in height, and are 

 attempted from above and below. In the 

 first case, the fowlers provide themselves 

 with a rope eighty or one hundred fathoms 

 in length. The fowler fastens one end 

 about his waist and between his legs, re- 

 commends himself to the protection of 

 the Almighty, and is lowered down by 

 six others, who place a piece of timber on 

 the margin of the rock, to preserve the 

 rope from wearing against the sharp edge. 

 They have besides a small line fastened 

 to the body of the adventurer, by which 

 he gives signals that they may lower or 

 raise him, or shift him from place to place. 

 The last operation is attended with great 

 clanger, by the loosening of the stones, 

 which ot'ten fall on his head, and would in- 

 fallibly destroy him, was he not protected 

 by a strong thick cap ; but even that is 

 found unequal to save him against the 

 weight of the larger fragments of rock. 

 Titt- dexterity of the fowlers is amazing; 

 they will place their feet against the 

 front of the precipice, and dart themselves 

 some fathoms from it, with a cool eye 

 survey the places where the birds nestle, 

 and again shoot into their haunts. In 

 some places the birds lodge in deep re- 

 cesses : the fowler will alight there, dis- 

 engage himself from the rope, fix it to a 

 stone, and at his leisure collect the booty, 

 fasten it to his girdle, and resume his 

 pendulous seat. At times he will again 

 spring from the rock, and in that attitude, 

 with a fowling net placed at the end of a 

 staff, catch the old birds which are flying 

 to and from their retreats. When he has 

 finished his dreadful employment, he gives 

 a signal to his friends above, who pull 

 him up, and share the hard-earned profit. 

 The feathers are preserved for exporta- 

 tion ; the flesh is partly eaten fresh ; but 

 the greater portion dried for winter's pro- 

 vision. 



The fowling from below has its share 

 of danger. The party goes on the expe- 

 dition in a boat ; and when it has attained 

 the base of the precipice, one of the most 

 daring, having fastened a rope about his 

 waist, and furnished himself with a long 

 pole with an iron hook at one end, either 

 climbs, or is thrust up by his companions, 



who place a pole under his breech, to the 

 next footing spot he can reach. He, by 

 means of the rope, brings up one of the 

 boat's crew ; the rest are drawn up in the 

 same manner, and each is furnished with 

 his rope and fowling staff. They conti- 

 nue their progress upwards, in the same 

 manner, till they arrive at the region of 

 birds, and wander about the face of 

 the cliff in search of them. They then 

 act in pairs ; one fastens himself to the 

 end of his associate's rope, and in places 

 where birds have nestled beneath his foot- 

 ing, he permits himself to be lowered 

 down, depending for his security on the 

 strength of his companion, who has to 

 haul dim up again ; but it sometimes hap- 

 pens, that the person above is overpower- 

 ed by the weight, and both inevitably pe- 

 rish. They fling the fowl into the boat, 

 which attends their motions, and receives 

 the booty. They often pass seven or 

 eight days in this tremendous employ- 

 ment, and lodge in the crannies which 

 they find in the face of the precipice. 



Birds are likewise caught in traps of 

 various kinds $ and frequently by nooses 

 of hairs, in this way great numbers of 

 wheat-ears are annually taken on the va- 

 rious downs of England, particularly in 

 Sussex. Small holes are dug by the 

 shepherds in the ground, in each of which 

 is placed a noose Whenever a cloud ob- 

 scures the sun, these timid birds seek for 

 shelter under a stone, or creep into any 

 holes that present themselves ; and they 

 are thus ensnared by the nooses, which 

 fasten around their necks. Woodcocks 

 and snipes are taken likewise by nooses 

 of horsehair placed along their paths, in 

 marshes and moist grounds. Wild 

 ducks, in all their varieties, are taken in, 

 vast numbers every winter on our coasts, 

 by means of decoys. See DECOY. 



Grouse and partridges are. taken by 

 means of nets, either at night, when rest- 

 ing on the ground, by observing where 

 they alight, and, when settled, drawing a 

 net over that part of the field ; or, in the 

 day, a very steady dog is used to point at 

 them. The attention of the birds being 

 thus fixed, two persons, drawing the two 

 extremities of a large net, pass it over 

 them, and thus secure a whole pack of 

 grouse, or covey of partridges, at once. 



Pheasants are sometimes taken by 

 night, by holding flaming sulphur under 

 the trees on which they are observed to 

 perch, the suffocating effluvia of which 

 makes them fall senseless. 



liniD lime. The vegetable principle, to 

 which is given the name of bird-lime, was 



