THE REDBREAST. 
of the common iron-toothed rat-trap, I have no doubt it will 
be sufficient to enable the ingenious boy to construct one for 
himself. Besides the trap, you must take with you a handful 
of barley and two small pieces of slate. Find a neighbourhood 
where robins abound, set your trap, scatter the barley over the 
board, and taking a piece of slate in each hand, strike them 
twice sharply together, so as to produce a “ tack, tack ; ” this 
is as near an imitation as possible of the call of the robin to 
its mate. Some birdcatchers use instead of the slate two old 
heavy penny pieces, but a little experience will convince anyone 
that the dull “ tack, tack,” produced by the former much more 
nearly resembles the call -note than the “chink, chink ” of 
the pence. 
Of course you will take care to conceal yourself while you are 
imposing on the credulous redbreasts with your slate. Presently 
you will hear a genuine “ tack, tack,” from a neighbouring bush, 
and then another from another quarter, then another, till you 
are surrounded by them, and on peeping from your hiding- 
place you will see half a dozen inquisitive little robins perched 
on the lowest branches of the hedge, endeavouring to spy out 
the newly-arrived “ tacker.” Although they may fail in dis- 
covering him, they certainly will not miss the glorious spread of 
barley that lies before them. Down they come, and the next 
instant a robin, sometimes two, will be regarding with conster- 
nation the net above their heads. 
Another way (perhaps a better) of snaring the robin by the 
chinking process, is to have a braced redbreast attached to the 
trap-board instead of barley spread thereon. It is by no means 
necessary that your decoy should be a songster ; but it must be 
a cock-bird and as lively and bold a looking fellow as you can 
procure. To brace a bird, it will only be necessary to pass over 
his body, beneath the wings, one of those India-rubber bands 
already recommended as being the best to confine a newly- 
caught bird’s wings. Underneath, and between the bird’s legs, 
attach to the ring a piece of silk cord of a dark colour. A 
small screw-ring should be attached to the trap-board, and 
through this ring the cord must be passed and secured. 
Manage your pieces of slate exactly as above directed, and 
secure your braced decoy close to the spring that releases the 
net, but not so close that he can hop on to it. “ Tack, tack,” 
“ tack, tack,” — the neighbouring robins hear the challenge and 
rouse up much as would Englishmen — ay, and English boys 
too, or I’m mistaken — were they to hear the banging of French 
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