The Bat Fowling Net
Category:
TRAPS FOR FEATHERED GAME.
With English bird-catchers this contrivance is in common use, but
so far as we know it has not been utilized to any great extent in
this country. It is chiefly used at night by the aid of a lantern,
and large numbers of sparrows and other birds are often secured.
Our illustration gives a very clear idea of the net, which may be
constructed as follows: Procure two light flexible poles, about
eight feet in length; to the tip of each a cord should be attached,
and the same secured to the middle of the pole, having drawn down
the tip to the bend, shown in our engraving. The two bent ends
should now be attached together by a hinge of leather. A piece
of mosquito netting is next in order, and it should be of such
a size as to cover the upper bent halves of the poles, as seen
in the illustration--the bottom edge being turned up into a bag,
about ten inches in depth. The contrivance is now complete, and is
used as follows: Three persons are generally required, and a dark
night is chosen. Hay stacks, evergreens, and thick bushes offer a
favorite shelter to numerous small birds, and it is here that they
are sought by the bird-hunters. A breezy night is preferable, as
the birds perch low, and are not so easily startled by unusual
sounds.
Great caution, however, is used in the approach. One party holds
the light, which is generally a dark lantern, another takes the
net, and the third arms himself with a switch with which to beat
the bushes. The net is first held upright about a foot from the
bush, and the light thrown upon the back of it. The bush is then
moderately beaten, and the birds affrighted and bewildered fly against
the net, which is instantly closed. The bird is thus captured, and
when a full roost can be discovered a large number may be taken
in a single night. The lantern should be closed while not in actual
use, and everything should be done as quietly as possible. The
dark lantern in itself is useful without the net. The light often
so bewilders the bird that it flies directly in the face of the
lantern and flutters to the ground, where it may be easily taken
with the hand.
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The Coop Trap
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