4 
CAGE AND SINGING BIRDS. 
about an inch thick, stuck into the sides, and nearly level with 
the water, spread a net sufficiently larg-e to cover the whole, 
leaving- an opening* at the near end by which the birds can 
enter, but which, by means of a string attached, can be closed 
at pleasure ; you have then only to hide yourself in some 
neighbouring covert, with the end of the string in your hand, 
and sit quiet for awhile ; the perches beneath the net will 
soon be occupied by all sorts of birds, drinking, and bathing, 
and enjoying themselves mightily; you can enclose them 
whenever you please, and secure such as you require, setting 
the rest at liberty. 
This is one of the easiest and pleasantest methods of 
making valuable captures; it may be practised from July 
to October with the greatest success, for at that part of 
the year shade and water are most frequently sought by 
the birds ; early in the morning, and in the evening just after 
sunset, are the best times of day. The most advantageous 
place for setting up a trap of this kind, is a wood bordering 
on which are meadows, and cultivated grounds, as to such a 
spot will resort not only the forest birds, but also those which 
haunt the fields and gardens. When the captives are secured, 
the tamer sorts, such as goldfinches, siskins, and linnets, 
should be put into small folding cages, which can be carried 
in the pocket until wanted ; those more wild and shy, like 
nightingales, larks, bullfinches, must be placed singly in bags 
made of linen, and lined with flannel so that they cannot 
injure themselves in their struggles to escape. When brought 
home they should be placed in muffied cages, and have light 
admitted to them only by degrees. 
The Gin, or Snare, may be used with most success in 
the Autumn : it is chiefly employed to capture those birds 
which feed upon berries, such as thrushes, robins, &c. It 
consists oi' nooses and sjjvinges, the former being intended to 
catch birds by the neck, the latter by the feet ; these are 
made of thread, yarn, or horsehair, the last material being by 
far the best, on account of its strength and elasticity, which 
is not affected by wet. Bechstein describes three kinds of 
nooses employed by the German bird-catchers : 1st, Rbid 
JSfooseSy being the rind of a tree stripped ofl" in July, and 
plaited into a threefold band, five or six inches long ; into 
this are inserted three loops^ each consisting of five or six 
