The St. Johns herald., 1895-05-30
BIRD CATCHN1. !.
How tho Trick Is Done in 1
 by Professionals.
4 Description of the mc-"cd= F.. red in Sharing the Clla a-..Ic.. q. Suburbs of LoIid zc.'-.:r=
 the Brea% 0:

\ 1cHc1 was nsL : -F. . C0eSc the materials for ST arin" d out au.l made ready, say1 core apondeEt of the St. Louis Demo crat. They were few and simple. 5.ach r1rn had a stuffed male chafinch in fall plumagc mounted on short lcngbh>cf st:c--. in Cae c-.l of which was a harp &. ''-c. Dasi7es this the only tools fs.thc craft were half ,.ozan pieces ot ~haic bone of about the thickness Of d u-1brella rib a2d nine inches long, and these, like the Gs-1f1aL- bir13 aoJ1ting, were provided at ona end with a spike. 4 little stone i&r containing bird line com pIeted the outEt.
 These prcliminsries completed, we made 2 start for the forest, which was close at hand, Bob the Butcher (who had won the toss for first try) keeping well in advance of the rest of the party. It could not, however, be said that chafirc,les were plentiful, though all round about us there was an abun- dance of bird music of almost every ether kind. It was rot the fault of the valiant pcgGcrs. Their cages all the ,ime enveloped ir the handkcrchiefs, they seemed to know exactly what was required of them, and fired off their challenge loud and ringing, at the rate of at least three within the minute. But presently Bob the Butcher, who was some twenty yards ahead, held up his hand in token that he had at last found something" On that the sailor boy was placed for the time be- ing under furze bush, and we all hur- ried up to see the fun.
 A cruel sport is chaffinch begging. Not that any actual pain is inflicted on the poor birds in the act of capture, though no doubt they are most terri ply frightened. The villainy of the business lies in the. unfortunate finch being made the victim of his jealouE regard for the welfare of his nest mate the wife of his bosom. So nice are his ideas of dom estic felicity that though his house is no larger than the hollow of onc's hand, he insists on having tree all to himself for accom- modatien. No other pair of chafdnches may build there, nor must any male ot the tribe come lcafng round. Sure as he does a fight cnsues and the inter- loper is driven away. It is on the ohafhnch's known objection to visitors of his own species that the rascally bird catcher founds his hopes of suc- cess, as was speedily made manifest oy Bob the Butchers maneuvering at the trunk of the poplar tree, among the boughs of which wild finch was all the time angrily responding to the hidden caged birds challenge.
 Producing his slips of whalebone the butcher cmeared them plentifully with the bird lime, and by means of the spiked ends stuck them here and there ils. the. tree trunk, and immedi- stely beneath he fixed the stuffed bird. 1t was hot till then that he placed the decoy fnch-its cage still tied up in the haadkcrchief-at the foot of the tree, and covered it over with Q hand ful or two of grass. This was the '1pitch," and on the instant watch was produced and the exact time noted, and we all withdrew to the screening of q hedge close at hand, peeping through the openings of which we could see what was taking place in the poplar tree. The hidden bird con- tinuing his challenge" the wild bird always answering, and each succeed ing time more fiercely-was presently seen eagerly fluttering this way in search of the intruder. At last, green eyed-and on that account purblind probably-it caught sight of the harm less dummy down below, and, with shriek of rage, was down on it, swift seemingly as Q stone from sling. But the trcacherous lined twigs inter cepted the savage pounce, and the next moment, with its outstretched wings held by the detached smeared sticks, it fell helpless to the ground.