CATCHING WOODPIGEONS 133 



They can walk about much as they like, but without 

 being able to fly, for their wings are tied. Their 

 inclosure, which is open at the top, has an aperture 

 communicating with the ground outside by means 

 of a little sliding bar, which is movable at pleasure 

 by the pigeon-catcher. 



When a lot of Woodpigeons have been lured 

 down into the trees around, the so-called Poulets are 

 let out through this opening one by one, as many 

 as may be thought necessary. They go through a 

 narrow passage which they are obliged to follow, 

 one after another, at the end of which they come to 

 the prepared ground, which has a turf bank all 

 round it, high enough to prevent their getting out. 

 Here, on little tufts of grass and herbage, purposely 

 arranged, is scattered grain, wheat, or rye, which 

 the Poulets pick up, running about here and there 

 like Pigeons at liberty, and thus tempting the new 

 arrivals, now looking at them from the tops of the 

 trees, to come down and feed with them. 



Through a hole in the hut a full view is obtained 

 of the ground, only a few yards off. It is an oblong 

 square about five yards by three yards, and is 

 levelled and cleared of all superfluous undergrowth, 

 with the exception of a few tufts here and there as 

 above mentioned. The net when set is folded back 

 to right and left on either side of the ground above 

 the top of the tuft bank. When at length, by means 

 of the decoys, the Semie, the Poulets, and a certain 

 amount of "cooing" which the pigeon-catcher 

 imitates to perfection, a number of Woodpigeons 

 are induced first to alight on the trees and then to 



