46 PRACTICAL TAXIDERMY. 



procuring small birds. I must confess I cannot nse it as well as 

 some young friends of mine, wlio knock oyer nearly every sitting 

 bird tbey aim at, and even now and tben are successful wifcli 

 sucb difficult sbots as at swallows on tbe wing; a novice, on 

 tbe contrary, nearly always succeeds in stinging Ms fingers 

 and missing tbe object aimed at. 



1 remember also, wben a boy, using a very effective weapon, 

 wbicb I sbould describe as a catapult gun. It was, if I recollect 

 arigbt, fasbioned similarly to a cross bow, tbe bolt, bowever, from 

 wbicb was ejected from a little wasb-leatber bag by means of 

 very powerful india-rubber springs, wbich being released by a 

 trigger delivered a bullet or small shot from a tube witb amazing 

 force and precision. I do not know if sucb guns are made now, 

 but I sbould imagine tbat anyone witb a little ingenuity could 

 construct one for himself. 



All these appliances, witb the well-known air-gun, are chiefly of 

 use for collecting the smaller birds with a minimum of noise. 

 There are several small collecting guns made which do the work 

 required in a much more thorough manner. Messrs. Bland, gun- 

 makers, of Birmingham, some time since showed me an elegant 

 little double-barrelled central fire gun, which seems to be just 

 the thing for the purpose. Messrs. Clarke, of Leicester, also 

 make a small single-barrelled central fire •410-bore collector's 

 gun, but as before observed, they are only fit for small birds at 

 short ranges. 



I have lately procured a small walking-stick gun •410-bore, 

 central fire, with a removeable stock, which I have found of great 

 service in collecting small birds — bringing down swifts and 

 swallows flying, at moderate ranges. 



Many birds, especially males, in the breeding season, are 

 taken by decoying them into nets or snares by tame or wild 

 birds of the opposite sex; in fact, advantage was wont to be 

 taken of the pugnacity or devotion of the Ruffes when " hilling," 

 by previously setting springes or nets on their battle-ground, 

 into which said snares they danced, when courting or fighting 

 (see Daniel, vol. iii., p. 212). 



Poachers also sometimes take cock pheasants by bringing an 

 armed gamecock into the woods and hiding themselves, while 

 the domesticated bird challenges and gives battle to the unarmed 



