146 THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 



birds have been used for the table or have taken the place 

 of pigeons for trap shooting. There is little doubt that 

 these uses would be more extensive if there were an easy 

 method of trapping the birds, but the English Sparrow is 

 as shrewd as he is worthless. Mr. W. T. Rill has been 

 very successful in trapping the birds for use at the traps 

 and in an exhaustive piiblication on the English Sparrow 

 issued by the government in 1889 Mr. Hill gives a descrip- 

 tion of his methods of capturing the pests. The article 

 originally appeared in the American Field and the appa- 

 ratus and methods employed are described as follows: 



"If we wish to catch a bird we must first acquaint our- 

 selves with its nature and habits, that we may intelligent- 

 ly bring to bear upon it the proper means to insure suc- 

 cess. Many birds, at certain seasons of the year, are 

 readily caught with simple devices carelessly applied, but 

 the English Sparrow, at all times, is the same cunning, 

 wary little fellow, not to be caught witli chaff alone, and 

 great care is necessary in any approach upon it. Consid- 

 ering, however, that we have a vantage ground in its gre- 

 garious, nomadic habits, and following in this direction, 

 we produce something that appeals directly to its extreme 

 greediness and curiosity, which shall be life like and real; 

 and, realizing that it is quick to take alarm, we so applj' 

 it as to cause the bird to act impulsively, and to enable 

 us to take it by surpiuse as much as possible. 



"The method used so successfully and exclusively by 

 me requires nets, with decoy and braced birds, placed in 

 the line of flight of the birds to and from their sleeping 

 and feeding places. The wild birds are influenced by the 

 decoy birds and then directed into the nets by means of 

 the braced birds, and are invariably caught while on the 

 wing or in the act of settling. The nets can also be used 

 to great advantage in places wiiere the birds' are known 

 to harbor, in which case decoy birds are not necessary; 

 but there should be no building, tree or other object for 

 the bird to alight upon inside of fifty yards from the nets, 



