B I R D - C A 
a manner as exactly to fill up the entrance into the water at 
the narrow end of the chevaux de fril'e, by which means, 
when tlie birds run upfihe impaled way, which they will 
certainly do to get to the water, the inftant they touch the 
trigger the fpring will fly, and they will be caught. 
Thefe traps may be fet upon all the galleys and rills where 
water-fowl, fnipes, woodcocks, plover, See. ufe, in the 
feafon when they come over, and great numbers might be 
tints taken. The traps mult be frequently examined, and 
the birds taken out with the Litmoft (tillnefs, in order to 
fet the fprings again, as the birds will keep running into 
them all night. 
There is yet another fpring, contrived for catching 
pheafants, groufe, partridges, quails, &c. as (hewn at 
fig. 4 of the lame plate. This is made as follows: Take a 
ftrong’hazel or willow flick, five or fix feet long, per¬ 
fectly firaight and fmooth, about the fize of an ordinary 
wallting-cane, and fliarpened at the end z, to fix into the 
ground. At the end G, tie or fallen a little crook ; then 
make two holes through the flick at XRj, and take any 
flick, fuch as holly, which, being bent, will fpring back 
and become firaight; let it be about three feet long, and 
fix one end of it fall into the hole j, and to the other end 
tie a finall packthread with.a horfe-hair collar, which draw's 
through the hole at X, and flop it (lightly with a peg cut 
at the end of a finall flick at T, fo that it may only keep 
it from flying back, and no more; then open the running 
collar at S, and lay it upon the little peg flick at T, and 
fiifpend a bait of ears of corn at V, which mart be five, 
fix, or eight, inches above the little flick, according to 
the fize or reach of the bird for which it is fet; which, 
jumping up upon the flick or bail at T, to reach the corn, 
will fpring the bent holly twig, which fnaps the bird by 
the legs in drawing the horfe-hair collar, fo that he will 
remain hanging by the heels againft the main flake at SR. 
WILD DUCKS. 
Thofe who live on the borders of a wild, marfhy, un¬ 
cultivated, country, where there are large ponds and 
rufhy fens, will be continually vifited with flights of wild 
ducks, wigeons, &c. and as it may be often delirable to 
take them, as much for paftime as for profit, we (hall here 
deferibe the method to be adopted for that purpofe. But 
thofe who with to fuccecd well in this amufement, fliould 
always be provided with wild ducks taken young, and 
bred up tame ; for the wild ducks will never mix with 
thofe of a real tame breed, nor anfiver to their call. The 
nets conflructcd for catching ducks ought never to be fet 
where the water is lefs than eight inches or a foot deep ; 
nor will they fucceed where the depth of water is more 
than a foot and a half; fo that fens, flats, funds, marfhes, 
and overflowed meadows, are the mod proper places for 
this diverfion. The form of the net is (hewn at fig. 5, of 
the foregoing plate ; the flaves or frame Ihould be made 
of oak, about feven feet long, and two and a half wide ; 
on the Tides and ends of which fome pieces of lead mull 
be fixed, about a foot apart, to fink the net below the fur- 
face of the water, that the ducks may have no fufpicion 
of it. The nets mu ft be fixed by ftrong wooden pins, as 
fliewn in the figure, which mud be driven down till the 
tops ot them are overflow ed by the water. Then between 
the nets place two or three of the tamed wild ducks, 
which are to be tied by the leg to little flakes driven un¬ 
der the water for that purpofe, but with lines fufficiently 
long to admit them to fivim about and eat the corn which 
fhould now' be thrown to them. Then, having two or 
three trained drakes in a little bag, wait until a flock of 
wild ducks are in fight, or are flying over, upon which 
let one of them go, and lie will immediately join the wild 
flock in expectation of finding his mate ; but not finding 
her he will begin to call, and will be inftantly anfwered 
by thofe tied by the leg, upon which the drake will fly to 
them, and bring down the whole flock with him, and will 
begin to eat the corn that has been thrown on the furface 
<sf the water between the nets. At this infiant the line 
Vo l. III. No. 116. 
T C H I N G. 53 
mu ft be pulled, which will clofe the nets, and fecure the 
birds. In this cafe, as in all others, where draw-nets are 
fet, there nuift be a hiding-place contiguous, contrived 
for the fportfman to lie undifeovered. 
Another way of taking wild-ducks in (hallow water, is 
by means of noofes or fpringes made of horfe-hair, or very 
fine wiie. In order to this, feveral dozen of thefe noofes 
are to be affixed to ftrong w ooden flakes, and driven juft 
below the furface of the water, fo that the noofes may 
fvvim at the top ; and be pretty contiguous to one another. 
Then drew feveral handfuls of corn among them, and, 
when the ducks come to feed, they will certainly be taken 
either by the neck or feet. To catch ducks out of the 
water, when they are at feed among the fivainps and rufhes, 
inftead of w ire or horfe-hair nodes, fallen to each pin or 
flake two or three ftrong hair-lines, with eel-hooks at the 
end, which may be baited with finall frogs, minnows, 
gudgeon, or worms, by which numbers of wild ducks, 
wigeon, teal, and other water-fowl, are ealily and fecurely 
taken. By this method alfo hawks, kites, crows, daws, 
ravens, and any of the voracious tribes, may be caught, 
by baiting tlie hooks with pieces of ftelh or carrion, and 
placing them in the fields or yards where they are obferv- 
ed to haunt. 
The following Ample but ingenious method of catching 
wild-fowl is tiled in Mexico. The lakes of the Mexican 
vale, as well as others of the kingdom, are frequented by 
a prodigious multitude of wild-clucks, geefe, and other 
water-birds. The Mexicans leave fome large empty 
gourds to float upon the water, where thofe birds refort, 
that they may be accuftomed to fee and approach them 
without fear. The bird-catcher then gqes into the water 
deep enough to hidge his body, and covers his head with 
a gourd ; the ducks come to peck at it: and then he pulls 
them by the feet under water, and in this manner fecures 
as many as he pleales. 
There are methods of catching moft kinds of birds by 
fteeping their food in certain intoxicating preparations. 
Thus, let wheat, barley, rye, or other grain, be boiled 
up with orpiment, and ftrewed in the places where the 
birds come, and they will eat it till they lie down ftupid 
and fenfelefs, fo that they may be taken up by the hand. 
If any field be vifited by wild or tame pigeons, and it be 
defired to catch them, boil fome white hellebore in the 
lees of wine, and foak in it a quantity of peafe, until they 
are thoroughly impregnated with the liquor ; then drew 
them where the pigeons refort, and they will eat till they 
are fo much intoxicated as to lie down on the fpot, and 
have the appearance of being dead. If it be to deftory 
kites, hawks, ravens, or crows, foak the entrails of pigs, 
fowls, ducks, or rabbits, in the lees of wine, in which a 
quantity of nux vomica has been diflolved ; lay this bait 
very early in the morning in any dry field or place where 
the birds are obferved to ufe, and it will intoxicate and 
kill them. Foxes, floats, weafels, &c. may be deftroyed 
in the fame manner, by adding a larger portion of the nux 
vomica. To catch rooks, daws, magpyes, &e. The fol¬ 
lowing method may be adopted : cut a fheet of thick 
brown paper into eight equal parts, and twill them up in 
the fliape of fugar-loaves, the inlide being firfl well cover¬ 
ed with ftrong bird-lime. Put fome corn in each paper, 
and place them between the clods or lumps of earth, early 
in the morning ; and, when the birds come to feed, they 
will thrutl their heads into the limed paper to reach the 
corn, which flicking round their neck and blinding them, 
they will fly directly perpendicular until they are fatigued 
and fpent, when they will fall down and may be eafily taken. 
ROCK-BIRDS. 
A very adventurous kind of bird-catching is followed 
by perfons who live on the fea-coafts, in the neighbour¬ 
hood of high cliffs and ftnpendous rocks, where innumer¬ 
able tribes of foreign birds arrive every year in May and 
June, to perform the duties of incubation. Thefe af.e 
particularly numerous in the Orkney illes, at Nofs-head, 
P in 
