THE CHAFFINCH. 237 



passage ; and succeeds best in the morning, from break of day 

 till nine o'clock, as this is the period in which the Chaffinches 

 are on the wing, while during the rest of the day they scatter 

 themselves over the fields in search of food, or practise their song. 

 In the same manner may be caught Mountain-finches, Linnets, 

 Goldfinches, Siskins, Eedpoles, Yellowhammers, and Bullfinches. 

 The bird-catchers also make use of the jealousy of the Chaf- 

 finch, in a mode which they have of catching them. As soon 

 as they hear a Chaffinch naturally possessed of a good note, 

 they take a male, which frequently utters his cry, Fink, fink ! 

 bind his wings together, and attach to his tail a thin, forked 

 limed twig, of about an inch in length. This bird is let loose 

 near the tree on which the singer is perched. The latter flies 

 down furiously upon the decoy as soon as he hears his cry, and 

 remains fast bound to him by the limed twig. Instances 

 have, indeed, been known, in which the decoy has been killed 

 by the sudden swoop of the wild bird. Another, and a surer 

 plan, is the following: Underneath the wings of a male, 

 trained for the purpose, is fastened a bandage of soft leather, 

 to which is attached a thread of about a foot in length. This 

 again is tied to a peg sunk in the ground ; so that the bird can 

 run about in any direction within certain limits. Near the 

 decoy limed twigs are placed in a circle, and a second Chaffinch, 

 which is accustomed to sing in the open air, and in a covered 

 cage, is concealed in a bush hard by. When the wild bird 

 hears the call of the concealed Chaffinch, he imagines that it 

 proceeds from the decoy, pounces down angrily upon him, and 

 becomes entangled in the limed twigs. Such birds, if caught 

 before Whitsuntide, sing in the course of the same year ; but 

 if after that period, are not only mute, but die of grief at their 

 separation from their mates and nestlings. The heartless con- 

 duct of those fowlers who, for the mere pleasure of the sport, 

 persist in taking these birds at the wrong season, cannot be 

 too severely condemned. When the young birds are fully 

 fledged, some bird-catchers mark the places where they are 

 accustomed to come to drink at noon, and succeed in securing 

 them on limed twigs judiciously disposed. Such Chaffinches, 

 because caught about St. James' Day, are called in Germany, 

 James' Finches (Jacobi Fmken; Jopfs FinkenJ; and if they have 

 a good memory, are not yet too old to learn a good song, and 

 are more hardy in constitution than those taken from the nest. 



