DECOYING- AND TRAPPING ANIMALS. 31 



seasons of the year when they change their situation ; in the month of 

 October, for instance, when the wild birds begin to fly, and in March, 

 when the smaller kinds assemble for pairing. They are chiefly on the 

 wing from daybreak to noon, and always fly against the wind. The 

 birdcatchers, therefore, lay their nets towards that point to which the 

 wind blows. The nets employed in this way are generally 12jyds. long 

 and 2|yds. wide, and are spread on the ground parallel to each other, in 

 such a manner as to meet when turned over. They are provided with 

 lines, fastened in such a way that, by a sudden pull, the birdcatcher is 

 able to draw them over the birds that may have alighted in the space 

 between those parallel sides. In order to entice the wild birds to alight 

 amongst the nets, call hirds are employed, of which there must be one 

 or two of each of the different kinds which are expected to be caught, 

 such as linnets, goldfinches, greenfinches, &c. Besides the call hirds 

 there are others denominated flur birds, which are placed upon a 

 moveable perch within the net, called a flur, and which can be raised or 

 depressed at pleasure, and these are secured to the flur by means of a 

 brace or bandage of slender silk strongly fastened round the body of the 

 bird. The call birds are deposited in cages at a little distance from the 

 nets, and as soon as they see or hear the approach of the wild birds, 

 which they perceive long before it can be observed by the birdcatcher, 

 they announce the intelligence from cage to cage with the greatest 

 appearance of joy, and they proceed to invite them to alight by a 

 succession of notes or short jerks, as they are termed by the birdcatcher, 

 which may often be heard at a considerable distance. The moment that 

 the call is heard by the wild birds they stop their flight and descend 

 towards the net, and so great -s the ascendancy and fascination of the 

 call birds that they can induce the others to return repeatedly to the nets 

 till every bird in the flock be caught. 



Being somewtiat afraid that tliis description would not meet 

 all tlie practical requirements of tlie case, and knowing myself 

 Lut little or nothing of this mode of birdcatching, I thought it 

 advisable to interview a practical man. Having at last suc- 

 ceeded in capturing a specimen of the genus homo, species 

 birdcatcher, I prevailed upon him (through the medium of a 

 tip) to impart his stock of birdcatching lore, and to cut me 

 patterns of play-sticks and pegs, and also to correct my rouo-h 

 sketches when necessary. 



The sum and substance of my interview is as follows : The 

 nets, which are of two pieces, are each about twelve yards long 



