Book I. O^O^JT HO LOgT. ~ 37 



f. ir. 



Of taking Birds with Day-nets. 

 . 



TH E time of the Year for thefe Nets is frQm Augufi till November : Of the Day 

 a little before Sun-rife, fo as your Nets may be laid, and all your Implements 

 in readinefs to begin' your work by peep of Sun. The milder the Air, and the 

 clearer and brighter the Morning, the fitter is the feafon for this exercife. The beft 

 place is in Charapain Countries, remote from any Town, Village, or common con- 

 courfe of people, on fhor* Barley ftubbles, fmooth green Layes, or level Meadows } 



andunperxeivedby fffe Birds, and that being covered they ma^ .. dx flicker 



from under'them. l«u h 



Let your Nets be made of very fine Packthread, knit lure, the Mafh rib', abovoan 

 Inch fquare. Let them be about three fathoms long, and not above one deep, verged 

 on each fide with ftrong fmall'Cords, the ends extended upon two fmall Poles as long 

 as the Net is broad, &c. in all things like the Net defcribed §. I. fave that that was to 

 be but one fingle Net,but here you muft have two exactly of the fame fize and fafhion, 

 and placed at that diftance, that when they are drawn the fides may juft meet and 

 touch one another. Your Nets being flaked down with ftrong (takes, fo that with 

 any nimble twitch you may caft them to and fro at pleafure} fome twenty or thirty 

 paces from the Nets place your Giggs on the tops of long Poles, turned into the wind, 

 to as they may play and make a noife therein. Thefe Giggs are made of long Goofe- 

 featherslfl the manner of Shuttle-cocks, and with little turnels of wood running in 

 broad and flat Swan-quills, ma'deround like a fmall hoop, and fo with longer firings 

 faftned to the Pole, will with any fmall wind twirl and flicker in the Air after fuch a 

 wanton manner that the Bm|s will come in great flocks to wonder and play about « 

 the fame. After the placing of your Giggs, youfhall then place your Stale, which is 

 a fmall flake df wood to prick down fait in the earth, having in itaMorteifehole, in 

 which a long Gender piece of wood, of about two foot, is fo faftned that it may move • 

 up and down at pleafure, and to this longer flick you (hall fatten a fmall Line,which 

 running through a hole in the flake aforefaid, and fo coming up to the place where 

 you fit, you may by drawing the Line up and down to you ( with your right 

 hand ) raife and mount the longer flick from the ground, as oft as you (hall find oc- 

 cafion. 



Now to this longer flick you (hall faften a live Lark, or Bunting, ( for you muft be 

 fure ever to preferve fome alive for that purpose ) or for want of fuch, any other fmall 

 Bird, which the Line making to flicker up and down by your pulling, will entice the 

 Larks to play about it, and fwoop fb near the ground, that drawing your hand, you 

 may cover, them with your Nets at pleafure : Alfo it will entice Hawks and any > 

 other Birds of prey to ftoop and ftrike at the fame, fo as you may with eafe take 

 them. 



There is alfo another S^tale, called the Looking-glafs 5 and this is a round flake of /* 

 wood as big as a mans Arm, and made very fhar/p at the nether end, fo as you may 

 thrufl and faften it into the earth at your pleafure. This Stake is made very hollow 

 in the upper part, above five fingers deep at the leaft 5 into this hollownefs is placed a 

 three-fquare piece of wood, albout twelve Inches long, and each fquare two Inches 

 broad, lying upon the top of the Stake, and going with a foot into the hollownefs, 

 which foot muft have a great knob at the top, and another at the bottom, with a 

 deep flendernefs between them, to which flendcrnefs muft be, faftned a fmall Pack- 

 thread, which running through a hole in the fide of the Stake, muft come up to the 

 feat where you fit. Now the three-fquare piece of wood, which4ies on the top of 

 the Stake, muft be made of fuch a true poife"and evennefs, and the foot in the 

 Socket fo round and fmooth, that upon the leaft touch it will twirl and turn round 

 like a Scoperil, winding the Packthread fo many times about it, which being fud- 

 denly drawn, and as fuddenly let go again, will keep the Engine in a perpetual round 

 motion, like a Childs Mill, made of a Nut, a flick, and an Apple. This done, you 

 fhall with Glue or other ftrong Cement faften upon the uppermoft fquares of the 

 three-fquare piece about twenty fmall pieces of Looking-glafs, and paint all the fpare- 



wood 



