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p«ater part is dried lor winter's provifion. Li fowling 

 from below, the party have rccourfe to a boat, and when 

 they have arrived at the bafe of the precipice, one of the 

 moll intrepid of them fallens a rope about liis waill, and 

 being fiirnidied with a long pole, with an irDn hook at one 

 end, either chmbs, or is thruil up by his co;npanions, who 

 place a pole under him, to the next footing fpot within his 

 reach. By means of tiie rope he hoids up one of tlie boat's 

 crew ; and the reft are drawn up in the fame manner, each 

 of them being furniihed with his rope and fowling ftaff. 

 They then purfue their journey upwards, till they arrive 

 at the region of birds ; and they wander about the cliff in 

 fearch of them. They next aA in pairs ; one fallens him- 

 felf to the end of his affociate's rope, and, in places where 

 birds have nellled beneath his footing, he fulfers !:imfelf to 

 be lowered down, depending for fafcty on the ftrength of 

 his companion, by whom he is again hauled up ; but it 

 fometimes happens, that the perfou above is overpowered 

 by the weight, and in this cafe, both inevitably perilh. The 

 fowl is flung into the boat, which attends their operations, 

 for the purpofe of receiving the booty. The fowlers often 

 pafs feven or eight days in thio perilous occupation, and 

 lodge in the crannies which they find in various parts of 

 the precipice. 



In fome remote parts of Rullia there is praftifed a Angu- 

 lar invention for taking great quantities of gelinottes or 

 grous. They choofe the mod open places in th.- birch 

 woods ; and there they plant long forks in the earth oppo- 

 fite the larger trees. On thefe for!;s is laid a horizontal 

 flick, gallows-wife, to which are tied fmall bundles of ears 

 of corn. At a fmall dillance from this part of the contri- 

 vance, is a kind of large funnel or inverted cone, made 

 with long birch twigs, thin and flexible, the lower extre- 

 mities of which are ftuck in the earth, very near to one 

 another ; but by fpreading towards the top, forms there an 

 opening of above a yard in diameter. In this opening is 

 placed a wheel made of two circles that interfeil each other, 

 and are furrounded with ftraiv and ears of corn. This 

 wheel turns on an axis fallened to the fides of the funnel in 

 fuch a manner, that there is room enough between the 

 flicks of the cone, and the circles, to admit of the wheel's 

 turning freely about. The birds firll perch upon the tranf- 

 verfe Hick near the tree ; and when they have a mind to 

 fall upon the corn tied to the wheel, they muft neceflarily 

 ftand upon one of the projefting parts of the circles of 

 which it is compofed. At that inflant the wlieel turns, 

 and the gelinotte falls, head foremoll, to the bottom of the 

 trap, w'hich is there fo contraftcd, that he cannot get out. 

 They fometimes find the machine half full of gelinottes. 



The following method of netting or catching of wild 

 pigeons is eagerly purfued as a diverfion in difTLrtnt parts 

 of Italy, particularly by the inhabitants of Cava, in the 

 Hither Principato, and is thus dcfcribed by Mr. Swinburne. 

 The people " affemble in parties ; and if any flranger 

 chances to ftray to their rendezvous, give him a moll cordial 

 welcome. I am not in the leall furprifed (fays Mr. Swin- 

 burne), at their paflionate fondnefs for th'S Iport, as I 

 found it extremely bewitching, keeping the attention con- 

 flantly alive, and the fprings of the mind pleaflngly agitated 

 by expedlation ; the fituations where the toils are fpread 

 are incomparably beautiful, the air is pure and balfamic, 

 and every thing around breathes health and fatisfadlion. 

 When the periodical flights of (lock-doves return from the 

 northern and wellern parts of Europe, to gain warmer 

 regions for their winter abode, the fowler repairs to the 

 mountain, and fpreads his nets acrofs the intermediate hol- 

 lows, the palTes through which the birds direft their courfe, 



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to avoid unneceflary elevation in their flight. Thefe nets 

 are hung upon a row of large trees planted for the purpofe. 

 The branches being very thick and clofe at top, and the bore 

 lofty and bare, a great opening is kft below for the toils, 

 which reach to the ground ; and, by means of pulleys, fall 

 in a heap with the leall effort. Sometimes they are ex- 

 tended upon p lies that exceed the height of the tree;. At 

 a fmall dillauee is a lofty circular turrtt. like a column with 

 a little capital or cap, upon v.-hieh a man is ftationed to watch 

 the approach of the game. As he commands a free view over 

 all the country, and prattice has made his fight as acute as 

 that of the lynx, he defcries the birds at a wonderful dillance. 

 The doves advance with great velocity ; but the alert watch- 

 man is prepared for them ; and juft as they approach his 

 poll, hurls a ftone above them with a flmg : upon this the 

 whole flock, wKofe fears have birds of prey for their great 

 objeCl, fuppofing the Hone to be an enemy of that kind 

 ready to pounce them, dart down like lightning to avoid 

 the blow by pafTmg under the trees ; but there they rulh 

 into the jaws of death, by dafliing againft the net, which 

 inllantly drops, and fo entangles them that not one of them 

 can efcape the active hands of the iowler. Thefe birds are 

 fometimes taken by dozens at one fall, and are accounted 

 fine eating. The dexterity with which the flingers manage 

 their weapon is very remarkable ; they throw the ftone to 

 a great he:ght without any violent clfort, and even without 

 whirling the fling round before they difcharge the pellet. 

 In the Pyrenean mountains, where the fame diverfiun is fol- 

 lowed, the watchmen ufe a bow and arrow, trimmed with 

 the feathers of a hawk." 



The following Ample but ingenious method of catching 

 aquatic birds is ufed in Mexico by the natives. The lakes 

 of the Mexican vale, as well as others of the kingdom, are 

 frequented by a prodigious multitude of ducks, geefe, and 

 other water-birds. The Mexicans leave fome empty gourds 

 to float upon the water, where thofe birds refort, that they 

 may be accuftomed to fee and approach them without fear. 

 The bird-catcher goes into the water fo deep as to hide his 

 body, and covers his head with a gourd ; the ducks come 

 to peck at it ; and then he pulls them by the feet under 

 v.-ater, and in this manner fecures as many as he pkafes. 



Sir George Staunton, in his " Embaffy to China," (vol. ii. 

 p. 400. ) informs us, that water-fowl are taken upon the 

 Wee-Chaung-hoo lake in that country by a fimilar device. 

 Empty jars or gourds are fuffercd to float about upon the 

 water, that fuch objefts may become familiar to the birds. 

 The filherman then wades into the lake with one of thofe 

 empty vefTels upon his head, and walks gently towards a 

 bird ; and lifting up his arm, draws it down below the fur- 

 face of the water, without any diilurbance or giving alarm 

 to the reft, feveral of which he treats in the fame manner, 

 until he fills the bag which he had brought to hold his 

 prey. This contrivance is not fo fingular as it is that the 

 fame device Ihould have occurred in the New Continent, as 

 Ulloa affcrts, to the natives of Carthagena, upon the lake 

 Cienega de Tefias. 



Birds, fjh'ing zvith, is a fingular mode of fifliing pradifed 

 in fome of the lakes of China, and particularly dcleribtd in 

 the account cf the late tmbalfy. Upon a lake near the 

 imperial canal were obfcrvcd thoufands of fmall boats and 

 rafts, conftrudled for this fingular kind of filhing. On ea:n 

 boat or raft were ten or twelve birds, which, at a lignal 

 from the owner, plunged into the water ; and it was afto- 

 nifhing to obferve the enormous fize of the iifli with which 

 they returned, grafped within their bills. Thefe birds ap- 

 peared to be fo well trained, that it did not require either 

 ring or cord about their throats, to prevent their fwallowing 



anv 



