THE CHAFFINCH. 
or seeds as are fit for the bird yon wish to catch, inside it. 
Scatter also a small quantity of the same sort of grain or seed 
with which yonr trap is baited, lightly and sparingly, for some 
distance around the springle, so as to attract and lead the bird 
by degrees to the principal bait within the spreader of the trap. 
Your springle is now complete, and will appear as above. The 
bird, attracted by the bait, approaches 
by degrees, and at length perches upon 
the spreader, which falls with its 
weight; the catch is thus released, 
the springer flies up, and the bird is 
caught in the hair noose by the neck, 
wing, body, or legs. You must take 
care to remain within sight of it, and 
as soon as a bird is noosed, run 
quickly and take him ; otherwise he will either be strangled, or 
beat himself to pieces in attempting to escape.” 
The chaffinch is a terribly jealous fellow. It is seldom 
that he will tolerate another male bird of his own species 
in the same tree with himself and spouse, and whenever 
he flies abroad (except at such times as she is sitting), he seems 
to insist on his hen accompanying him. Bird-catchers have 
long been aware of tins, his great weakness, and have made it 
the basis of all their designs for his capture. There are many 
ways of snaring the bird. One is to brace a male chaffinch, 
and to attach him to a peg driven into the ground, allowing 
him about a foot of string. He is surrounded by a circle of 
limed twigs, and a good singing chaffinch is concealed in its 
cage and placed under an adjoining hedge. The bird in the 
cage sings his natural song, and the jealous wild finch, espying 
the braced bird, and thinking he is the sweet-voiced intruder, 
darts down on him, and is caught in the limed twigs. This 
plan, however, is not always successful, as the wild bird will 
sometimes swoop down with such unerring aim as to strike the 
poor braced bird, and up again, without touching the twigs. 
On such occasions I have known the braced bird to be seriously 
maimed, and on one occasion killed outright. Another way is • 
to clip the wings of a male finch, and with a well-limed twig 
tied to his tail, to set him hopping about where chaffinches 
abound. The decoy bird utters his “ pink, pink,” and 
down pounces the jealous little creature from the tree. This 
mode, however, is not without a very serious objection. It 
should be recollected that the syllable “ pink ” repeated once or 
