14 BIRD LIFE IN ENGLAND. 



but I never acquired sufficient accuracy to work amongst the 

 roofs, where an error of half an inch would be destruction 

 to the wand a valuable weapon, and one difficult to replace." 

 Our own kestrel at home is such a terrible enemy to the 

 professional bird-catcher, pouncing down and carrying off 

 his trained decoy birds, that the following trap has to be 

 frequently used against him. A white napkin to attract the 

 hawk while in the air, is spread upon the ground and 

 fastened down at the corners with little sticks. In the centre 

 of this is a small peg to which a live sparrow is secured with 

 a few inches of string. Slender twigs are then placed all 

 round the napkin, so as to prevent the hawk from attacking 

 the decoy from any position but above. Two long and 

 slender limed willow twigs are then lightly fixed in the 

 ground, one at each end of the cloth, so as to form an arch 

 over the sparrow. When the kestrel strikes down at the 

 sparrow his wings touch and stick to these limed twigs, and 

 as they at once fall from their positions, he rolls helplessly 

 over and over. 



Sparrowhawks are also taken very often in this way, 

 but more commonly among lesser varieties in the famous 

 but seldom described " square net," which is thus mentioned 

 by Sir John Sebright : "A net, eight feet in depth, and of 

 sufficient length to enclose a square of nine feet, is suspended 

 by means of upright stakes, into which transverse notches 

 are made, and on which notches the meshes of the net are 

 loosely placed, so that as soon as a hawk strikes against it 

 the net readily disengages itself and falls. The square 

 enclosure is open above, and within it a living bird, usually 

 a pigeon, is fastened as a bait. The colour of the net should 

 assimilate as much as may be with surrounding objects, and 

 the material should be a fine silk. The merlin, the hobby, 

 and the sparrowhawk, may be taken in this way ; but the 

 larger varieties, viz. gere-falcon, peregrine, and goshawk, 

 are seldom to be thus trapped, and must be captured either 

 by the bow-net, or the hand-net." The yearly migration of 



