THE BIRDS OP NEW JERSEY. 153 



pack is placed upon the ground in the middle of the place 

 where the nets' are to be set, and the nets are laid in a 

 line on each side of it. We now take two staffs and lap- 

 ping them about nine inches, lay them on the ground at 

 ends of top lines of nets, nearest where we intend to stand. 

 Taking the hatchet we drive two heel-pins in at the ex- 

 tremes of the staffs, when the distance between the two 

 pins will be the length of both staffs, less the nine inches 

 we lapped them. Having taken each top-line and allow- 

 ed about a foot of slack by means of clamps, and placed 

 them over heel-pins, taking also an extra turn, we go to 

 the other end and taking with us two more heel-pins re- 

 peat what we have just done, taking care that the lines 

 are stretched perfectly straight and tight, and that these 

 pins, upon which so much strain comes, are secure. The 

 top-lines of nets now form two straight, parallel lines, 

 and care should be taken not to move them in any way 

 until after the checks are driven in. These should now 

 be driven in at the points along top-line where the eyes 

 appear at ends of nets, inclining slightly outward so that 

 the wire will project on outside of line sufficiently to 

 cause the net when stretched on staff and held perpendic- 

 ularly to have a tendency to fall inward. We now pass 

 the socket of staff's over wires in the cheeks, and let out 

 sufficient of the slack of top line to permit of their being 

 stretched oyer and attached to button on top of staffs. 

 This being done we proceed to stake down the bottom 

 edges of nets — first the four corners, and then the hollow , 

 places between them. The bobbers and fly-sticks come 

 next, and if five are used they should be placed as shown 

 in Fig. I., the lines attached, some food for birds placed at 

 ends of fly-sticks. Then we can put on the pull-line, the 

 ends of the arms entering into the same eyes of top-lines 

 the buttons of staffs have. Now we are all ready but the 

 braced birds, which are put on sticks by passing the loop 

 at the end entirely through the ring of brace, then pass- 

 ing bird through loop and pulling tight on ring. We now 



