BiRD-C ATCHING. 
54 
in the Feroe Iflands, and in thofe immenfe rocks at the 
back of the I fie of Wight, where many curious perfons 
from all parts of the kingdom refort at the proper feafon 
to fee them, and others to flioot them,' of which a boatful 
might be killed in a day; whilft it is entertaining to fee 
the fifbermen and other poor inhabitants at the back of 
the Wight travelling the precipices in fearcli of famphire, 
•which makes a fine pickle, and in purfuit of the young 
birds, and the eggs, which are reckoned delicious food; 
for fallads, no egg diffolves fo well, nor affords fo fine a 
flavour. Some of thefe rocks are at lead 600 feet above 
the fea which wafhes them ; their fronts craggy and rag¬ 
ged with (helves and ledges, where the birds arrange 
themfelves by thoufands, and lay their eggs. To thefe 
the dauntlefs fowlers will afcend, pafs intrepidly from the 
one to the other, collect the eggs and birds, and defcend 
with the fame indifference. In mod places the attempt is 
made from above: they are lowered from the dope con¬ 
tiguous to the brink, by a rope, truding themfelves to a 
fingle adidant, who lets his companion down, and holds 
the rope, depending on his drength alone; which, if it 
fails, the adventurer is fine to be dallied to pieces, or 
drowned in the fubjacent fea. But the mod Angular fpe- 
cies of this kind of bird-catching is on the holm of Nofs, 
a vad rock fevered from the ide of Nofs by fome unknown 
convulfion, and only about iixteen fathoms didant. It is 
of the fame dupendous height as the oppofite precipice, 
with a raging fea between; fo that to look down upon the 
intervening chafm, is of matchlefs horror. Some adven¬ 
turous climber has reached the rock in a bo'at, gained the 
height, and fadened feveral dakes in the fmall portion of 
earth which is to be found on the top ; correfpondent 
flakes are placed on the edge of the correfpondent clifl's. 
A rope is fixed to the dakes on both fides, along which a 
machine, called a cradd/e, or bajkd, is contrived to Hide ; 
and, by the help of a lmall parallel cord fadened in like 
manner, the adventurer wafts himfelf over, and returns 
with his booty. 
The manner of bird-catching in the Feroe idands is dill 
more dangerous. The cliffs which contain the objects of 
their fearch are 200 fathoms in height, and are attempted 
from above and below. In the fird cafe, the fowlers pro¬ 
vide themfelves with a rope from eighty to 100 fathoms in 
length. The fowler fadens one end about his v'aid and 
between his legs, and is lowered down by fix others, who 
place a piece of timber on the margin of the rock, to pre¬ 
serve the rope from wearing againd the fharp edge. They 
have befides a fmall line fadened to the body of the ad¬ 
venturer, by which lie gives fignals that they may lower 
or raife him, or fhift him from place to place. The lad 
operation is attended with great danger, by the loofening 
of the dones, which often fall on his head, and would in¬ 
fallibly dedroy him, were it not protected by a drong thick 
cap ; but even that is found unequal to fave him againd 
the weight of the larger fragments of rock. The dexte¬ 
rity of the fowlers is amazing; they will place their feet 
againd the front of the precipice, and dart themfelves to a 
didance from it, with a cool eye furvey the places where 
the birds nedle, and again Oioot into their haunts. In 
fome places the birds lodge in deep recedes. The fowler 
will alight there, difengage himfelf from the rope, dx it 
to a done, and at his leifure collect the booty, faden it to 
his girdle, and refume his pendulous feat. At times he 
will again fpring from the rock, and, in that attitude, 
with a fowling-net placed at the end of a dad', catch the 
old birds which are flying to and from their retreats. 
When he has explored every crevice and crag, he gives a 
flgnal to his friends above, who pull him up, and diare 
the hard-earned proflt. The feathers are preferved for 
exportation: the fledi is partly eaten frefh, but the greater 
portion dried for winter's provifion. The fowling from 
below has alfo its diare of danger. The party goes on the 
expedition in a boat; and, when it has attained the bafe of 
tiie precipice, one of the mod daring, having fadened a 
rope about his waid, and taking a long pole with an iron 
3 
hook at one end, lie either climbs, or is thrud up with 3 
long pole by his companions. By means of the rope lfe 
hauls up one of the boat’s crew; the red are drawn up 
in the fame manner, and each is furnilhed with his rope and 
fowling-daff. They then continue their progrefs upwards 
in the lame manner, till they arrive at the'region of birds; 
and wander about the face of the did' in fearch of them. 
They then ad in pairs ; one fadens himfelf to the end o? 
his affociate’s rope, and, in places ivliere birds have nedled 
beneath his footing, he permits himfelf to be lowered 
down, depending, for his fecurity on the drength of hi’s 
companion, who has to haul him up again; but it fome- 
times happens that the perfon above is overpowered by 
the weight, and both inevitably perifii. They ding the 
birds into the boat, which attends their motions, and re¬ 
ceives the booty. They often pafs feveral days in this 
tremendous employ, and lodge in the crannies which they 
find in the face of tlie precipice. 
In fome remote parts of RulTia they have a Angular in¬ 
vention for taking quantities of groufe. They choofe the 
mod open places in the birch woods; and there they plant 
long forks in the earth oppofite the larger trees. On thefe 
forks is laid a horizontal dick, to which are tied fmall 
bundles of ears of cbm. At a fmall didanee from this part 
ot the contrivance, is a kind of large funnel or inverted cone, 
made with long birch twigs, thin and flexible, the lower 
extremities of which are duck in the earth, very near to 
one another; but by fpreading towards the top they form 
an opening of above a yard in diameter. I11 this opening 
is placed a wheel made of two circles that interfeCt eacli 
other, and are furrounded with draw and ears of com. 
This wheel turns on an axis fadened to the ddes of the 
funnel in fuch a manner, that there is room enough be¬ 
tween the dicks of the cone and the circles to admit of the 
wheel’s turning freely about. The birds fird perch upon 
the tranfverfe dick near the tree; and, when they have a 
mind to fall upon the corn tied to the wheel, they mud 
necedarily dand upon one of the projecting parts of the 
circles of which it is compofed. At that indant the wheel 
turns, and the bird falls, head foremod, to the bottom of 
the trap, which is there fo contracted that he cannot get 
out. See thefe feveral methodsof bird-catching reprefented 
at the foot of the preceding plate. 
The following method of netting or catching wild pi¬ 
geons is eagerly purfued as a diverllon in different parts of 
Italy, and is thus defcribed by Mr. Swinburne. “ The 
people ademble in parties ; and, if any dranger chances to 
dray to their rendezvous* they give him a cordial wel¬ 
come. I am not in the lead lurprifed (lays he) at their 
padionate fondnefs for this fport, as I found it extremely 
bewitching, keeping the attention condantly alive, and the 
fprings of the mind pleafingly agitated by expectation; 
the fituations where the toils are fpread are incomparably 
beautiful, the air is pure and balfamic, and every thing 
around breathes health and fatisfaction. When the perio¬ 
dical flights of dock-doves return from the northern and 
wedern parts of Europe to gain warmer regions for their 
winter abode, the fowler repairs to the mountain, and 
fpreads his nets acrofs the intermediate hollows, the pafies 
through which the birds direCI their courfe, to avoid un- 
neceflary elevation in their flight. Thefe nets are hung 
upon a row of large trees planted for the purpofe. The 
branches being very thick and clofe at top, and the bole 
lofty and bare, a great opening is left below for the toils, 
which reach to the ground ; and, by means of pulleys, fall 
in a heap with the lead effort. Sometimes they are ex¬ 
tended upon poles that exceed the height of the trees. 
At a fmall didance is a lofty circular turret, like a column 
witli a little capital or cap, upon which a man is dationed 
to watch the approach of the game. As he commands a 
free view over all the country, and practice has made his 
fight as acute as that of the lynx, he defcries the birds at 
a wonderful didance. The doves advance with great ve¬ 
locity; but the alert watchman is prepared for them; and, 
juft as they approach his pod, hurls a done above them 
with 
