BIR 
BIR 
Whenever a cloud obscures the sun, these 
timid birds seek for shelter under a stone, 
or creep into any holes that present them- 
selves ; and they are thus ensnared by the 
nooses which fasten around their necks. 
Woodcocks and snipes are taken likewise 
by nooses of lwrse hair placed along their 
paths, in marshes and moist grounds. Wild 
ducks, in all their varieties, are taken in 
vast numbers every winter on our coasts, 
by means of decoys. See Decoy. 
Grouse and partridges are taken by 
means of nets, either at night when resting 
on the ground, by observing where they 
alight, and, when settled, drawing a net 
over that part of the field ; or, in the day, 
a very steady dog is used to point at them. 
The attention of the birds being thus fixed, 
two persons, drawing the two extremities 
of a large net, pass it over them, and thus 
secure a whole pack of grouse, or covey of 
partridges at once. 
Pheasants are sometimes taken by night, 
by holding flaming sulphur under the trees 
on which they are observed to perch, the 
suffocating effluvia of which makes them 
fall senseless, 
Bird lime. The vegetable principle to 
which is given the name of bird-lime, was. 
first examined by Vauquelin, who found it 
possessed of properties different from every 
other. It was found collected on the epi- 
dermis of a plant brought to Europe by Mi- 
chaud, and called robinia viscosa, consti- 
tuting a viscid substance, which made the 
fingers adhere to the young twigs. From 
the late analysis of bird-lime by Bouillon la 
Grange, it is obvious that it owes its pecu- 
liarpropertiesto thepresence ofau analogous 
substance, which indeed constitutes the es- 
sential part of that composition. Hence 
the reason of the name of bird-lime to the 
principle itself. 1. Natural bird-lime (or 
that which exudes spontaneously from 
plants) possesses the following properties : 
its colour is green ; it has no sensible taste 
or smell ; is extremely adhesive ; softens by 
the heat of the fingers, and sticks to them 
with great obstinacy. When heated it 
melts, swells up, and burns with a consi- 
derable flame, leaving a bulky charcoal be- 
hind it. It does not dissolve in water ; al- 
cohol has but little action on it, especially 
when cold. By the assistance of heat it 
dissolves a portion of it ; but in cooling, al- 
lows the greatest part to precipitate again. 
When exposed to the air it continues glu- 
tinous, never becoming hard and brittle like 
the resins. It combines readily with oils. 
Ether is its true solvent, dissolving it readily 
without the assistance of heat. The solu- 
tion is of a deep green colour. The alka- 
lies do not combine with it ; the effect of 
the acids was not tried. These properties 
are sufficient to distinguish bird-lime from 
every other vegetable principle. 2. Arti- 
ficial bird-lime is prepared from different 
substances in different countries. The 
berries of the misletoe are said to have 
been formerly employed. They were 
pounded, boiled in water, and the hot water 
poured off. At present bird-lime is usually 
prepared from the middle bark of the 
holly. The process followed in England 
is as follows : the bark is boiled in water 
seven or eight hours, till it becomes soft. It 
is then laid in quantities in the earth, co- 
vered with stones, and left to ferment or 
rot for a fortnight or three weeks. By this 
fermentation, it changes to a mucilaginous 
consistency. It is then taken from the 
pits, pounded in mortars to a paste, and 
well washed with river water. Its colour 
is greenish, its flavour sour, and its consis- 
tence gluey, stringy, and tenacious. Its 
. smell is similar to that of linseed oil. When 
spread on a glass plate and exposed to the 
air and light it dries, becomes brown, loses 
its viscidity, and may be reduced to a pow- 
der ; but when water is added to it, the 
glutinous property returns. It reddens ve- 
getable blues. When gently heated it melts 
and swells, and emits an odour like that of 
an'mal oils. When heated on red hot coals, 
it burns with a lively flame, and gives out a 
great deal of smoke, leaving a white ash, 
composed of carbonate of lime, alumina, 
iron, sulphate, and muriate of potash. Weak 
acids soften bird-lime, and partly dissolve 
it; strong acids act with more violence. 
Sulphuric acid renders it black ; and when 
lime is added to the solution, acetic acid and 
ammonia separate. Nitric acid cold has 
little effect ; but when assisted by heat it 
dissolves the bird-lime ; and the solution, 
when evaporated, leaves behind it a hard 
brittle mass. By treating this mass with 
nitric acid, a new solution may be obtained, 
which by evaporation yields malic and 
oxalic acids, and a yellow matter which 
possesses, several of the properties of wax. 
Cold muriatic acid does not act on bird- 
lime ; hot muriatic acid renders it black. 
Bird-lime, when treated with oxymuriatic 
acid, becomes white, and is divided into hard 
compact masses, having unaltered bird-lime 
in their centre. This white substance may 
be pulverised ; it is insoluble in water ; does 
