THE QUESTION OF THE INTERN. PROT. OF BIRDS COMES TO HUNGARY 91 
his day's bag, which consisted of 51 small birds, among 
which were goldfinches, linnets, titmice, red-breasts, alpine 
accentors, meadow pipits and tawny pipits: — he did 
not shoot water pipits because their flesh was considered 
bitter. 
But however large the booty shot with guns, it is a mere 
trifle composed to that caught. 
The master of bird-catching is the Italian, who is just 
as clever in the use of the snare, bird-lime or the three-fold 
fowler's net. 
The latter net is the most important and really consists 
of three nets, viz. two larger nets, which are wide-meshed 
and a fine close-meshed smaller net, which comes between 
the two larger nets. The flying bird dashes into the fine net 
which gives way and so forms a sack beyond the meshes 
of the larger net, in which the bird gets entangled. These 
nets are sometimes a kilometre long, their width ranging 
between 30 centimetres and 4 metres. 
The latter are used for the „Roccolo" which is formed of 
living hornbeams and is thus permanent; it takes many years 
to grow into shape. 
It is in the form of a horseshoe and in its hedge-walls 
there are openings like windows which are placed opposite 
one another in pairs, the nets being stretched accordingly. 
The passing birds are enticed into the trap by blinded 
decoy-birds, which are deprived of sight in the most ruthless 
manner, with redhot wires. 
The trick is that, when the passing birds approach the 
„Roccolo", the fowlers throw the „roccolo" over them. This 
instrument is a disk of platted willowtwigs, on a short han- 
dle: when raised, the birds think it to be a sparrow hawk 
and, darting down into the RoccolOy fall into the net. 
Nearly allied to this instrument are the Pressanella and 
