CAGE AND SINGING BIRDS. 
5 
liorse-liairs twisted together with a knot at the end, which 
fastens it to the rind band, while the loop hangs down. A 
small branch of a tree, from which projects at right angles a 
little stem, is generally chosen for this kind of snare 3 the 
bait of service or other berries is placed conspicuously behind 
the horsehair loops, in which the necks of the birds are 
caught when they attempt to take the fruit. 
2nd, Twig Nooses, — To construct one of these take a 
tough rod of willow, make two holes or slits in the stem or 
upright branch of a tree about four inches apart, and into 
these thrust the ends of the rod, which should be of sufficient 
length to form a kind of half oval pi'ojecting about six inches 
from the tree ; two or three horsehair nooses are inserted in 
the upper side of this, so that they hang down and nearly 
touch the lower side where the bait is placed. 
3rd, The Hanging Gin is a rod bent into a triangular 
form, and hung by the apex to some tree or shrub ; it 
should be about six inches wide at the bottom where 
the berries are placed, and have a horsehair noose from 
each of the sides, which may be eighteen inches long or 
more ; this is sometimes called the Noose Perch, and does 
not appear to be a very successful snare, as birds frequently 
get the berries without being caught. The German natural- 
ist recommends instead of it what he calls the Entire Twig 
Gin, formed of a willow rod, cracked at about eight inches 
from the thickest end to form the base, the rest of the rod to 
be bent over, until its smaller termination meets the thick end, 
into which, by means of a slit, it is inserted, forming a figure 
something like an old Saxon doorway in a cathedral, with a 
semi-circular top, by which it is suspended to a tree; the 
nooses are to project inwards, one from the centre of the 
arch of the bent twig, and one from each side, so as com- 
pletely to enclose the berries resting on the straight bottom 
piece. 
Great care must be taken in setting these gins that the 
hair nooses are not bent or twisted out of the proper curve^ ana 
in order to ensure this they should be dipped frequently in 
boiling water whilst being plaited; it is necessary to be 
careful, too, that the nooses are uniform in size, and fit each 
other, so that vacant spaces are not left for the bird to escape 
through. 
