BIBBS IN A VILLAGE. 
71 
reed sparrows — all such birds were worth only tup- 
pence apiece. Oh yes, he caught them just the same, 
and sent them up to London, but that was all they 
were worth to him. For young male linnets he 
got eightpence, sometimes tenpence ; for hen birds 
fourpence, more or less. I dare say that eight- 
pence was what he hoped to get, seeing that 3^oung 
male linnets are not unfrequently sold by London 
dealers for sixpence and even fourpence. Gold- 
finches ran to eighteenpence, sometimes as much 
as two shillings. Starlings he had made a lot out 
of, but that was all past and over. Why ? Because 
they were not wanted — because people were such 
fools that they now preferred to shoot at pigeons. 
He hated pigeons ! Gentlemen used to shoot 
starlings at matches ; and if you had the making of 
a bird to shoot at, you couldn't get a better than 
the starling — such a neat bird. He had caught 
hundreds — thousands, perhaps — and had sold them 
well. But now nothing but pigeons would they 
have. He caught starlings still, but what was the 
good of that ? The dealers would only take a few, 
and they were worth nothing — no more than green- 
finches and yellow-hammers. 
After my long talk with this man, and two more 
talks equally long on the two following days, I 
found that something of the charm the common had 
