Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-11-04

Hunters Trks Advantage OF the Red Birds
Pugnacity.


Pugnacity.
Tho redbird. when 1t has gotten
down hard to home-making, develops
remarkable tendency to fight. At
all other times OF the year he is as
docile and gentle as any in the woods
indeed. rather inclined to take deal
from other birds-but as soon as the
nest Is completed and Mrs. Redbird Is
installed queen thereof he gets on his
war paint and will fight anything that
comes along. 1t Is by taking -advan-
tage of the bravery of the redbird In
defending the home that the hunter Is
enabled to snare 1t. The trap used Is
wire cage. Within this cage Is a
tame bird, one which has been in cap
tivity q year or two and sings freely.
The hunter wanders into the woods
and slowly makes his way through the
swamps until he reaches dense por-
ton, when he halts, says writer In
the Philadelphia Telegraph.
Pretty soon the bird In the cage
delighted, doubtless, at being again in
its native woods, even IL bars stand
between 1t and liberty-begins singing
with all It's might. If there Is red
bird within sound of the callers voice
it hastens to investigate. One Of the
peculiar habits of the redbird, hunters
say, is that there seems by common
consent to be division of the woods
among them-each bird having ap-
propriated to his especial jurisdiction
n rtatD oil r~tv~ 90
times other birds, either by mistake or
for the purpose Of acquiring more ter
ritory, invade the domain of another.
whereupon there is fierce fight. which
Is called off only when one or the other
of the birds conQuers, in which case
the victor becomes the possessor of the
territory of the two, together with the
defeated birds mate, who, 1t seems, Is
no longer willing to share fortunes
with her former lord after he has
proved himself a poor fighter.
The hunter has on one side of his
cage a light net, bound about by
light frame, and to the center of a
light iron rod stretched perpendicu-
larly across this frame Is attached, in
swinging position. a short. rounded
stick about six inches In length. This
gate of netting is opened and kept In
that position by the wooden trigger
attached to the sides of the cage where
in is the call bird. This connection
of the two triggers is very delicate.
and the slightest touch will suffice to
throw it, whereupon the netting-frame
door is quickly closed by a spring
against. the sides of the cage. This is
what holds the redbird captive.
AS soon as the hunter has set the
trigger of the cage he hangs 1t to a
limb somewhere or places 1t on the
ground and goes away some distance
to await results. The imprisoned red
bird soon begins to sing, and presently,
If there Is redbird anywhere within
hearing distance, there is a flutter of
wings, series of sharp cries. and be-
fore the hunter can say scat" the wild
redbird flies headlong at his supposed
enemy in the cage. throws the trigger
and is captured. 1t takes very little
longer to capture redbird than II
does to catch fish. If once the Gagged
bird is placed in the right spot within
the territory of the other redbird, and
he hears it singing, the rest is very
easy. for. regardless Of all personal
safety and everything else, he rushes
madly to the fight.