The St. Johns herald., 1895-05-02
BIRD CATCHING.
How the Trick Is Done in England
 by Professionals.
4 Description of the Methods Employed in SnaFinG the Chaf3nch in the Suburbs of London Before
 the Break of Day,

A bench was handy. and on these the materials for snaring were laid ouI and made ready, says a London core spondent of the St. Louis Globe-Demo' crat. They were few and simple. Each man had q stuffed male chafinch in full plumagc mounted on a short length of stick, in one end of which was a sharp spike. Besides this the only tools of the craft were half a dozen pieces of whalcbone of about the thickness of an umbrella rib and nine inches long, and these, like the stuffed birds mounting, were provided at one end with spike. A little stone iar containing bird lime com pleted the outfit.
 These preliminaries completed, we made start for the forest, which was close at hand, Bob the Butcher (who had won the toss for first try) keeping we'll in advance of the rest of the party. It could not, however, be said that chafincheS were plentiful, though all round about us there was an abun- dance of bird music of almost every other kind. It was not the fault of the saliant peggers. Their cages all the time enveloped in the handkerchiefs. 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 chafinch 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 jealous 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 ones hand, he insists on having tree all to himself for accom- modation. No other pair of chaffinches may build there, nor must any male of the tribe come lCafng round, Sure as he does fight ensues and the inter- loper is driven away. It is on the chaffinch'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 by 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 smeared them plentifully with the bird lime, and by means of the spiked ends stuck them here and there in the tree trunk, and immedi- Rtely beneath he fixed the stuffed bird. It was not till then that he placed the decoy fnch-its cage still tied up in the handl1erchief-at the foot of the tree, and covered it over with a hand full or two of grass. This was the pitch" and on the instant a watch was produced and the exact time noted, and we all withdrew to the screening of a 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 fercely-was presently seen eagerly futtering 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 a shriek of rage, was down on it, swift seemingly as a stone from a sling. But the treacherous lined twigs inter cepted the savage bounce, and the next moment, with its outstretched wings held by the detached smeared sticks, it fell helpless to the ground.