The Portland daily press., 1897-04-10
BlRD-sNARiNG IN TENNESSEE.
Jingling for Robins. Trolling for Larks,
and Pesging for Blackbirds.

Bird catching 1s a profession that many
Iennesseeans find profitable. Robins,
larks, and hooking birds are sought fer
in every part of the state, and in the
mountains eagle catching is carried on.
Jingling for robins is a simple art.
founded upon closse observations of
nature. The jing]er provides himself
| with tame robin Gagged, piece of tim
Der about foot square, to which is at
Uached a net that flies over it when q
spring is pressed. and two pennies. He
selects pot which robins frequent, de.
posits the cage at the foot of tree, re-
treats to a little distance, and then, bal
ancing the pennies, one on each fore
finger, ohinks them together. Now. If
there is a cook robin near by he imme-
piatsly exposes himself. Birds. like men
have their weaknesses, and jealousy and
inquisitiveness are the special weak
nesses of cock robins "Ohink, Eohink."
| Is the call of the male bird to his mate:
and am unwonted chink affects him to
such degree that he il almost thrown
off hislgperch. His ever bright, round
eyeslgrow rounder and brighter with the
keeHness Of curiosity and Jealousy.
Ching, chink!" gothic i, pennies The
bird sets his head on one side and says TO
himelf: "What does this mean, should
like to know" ''Chink, chink !
Chink. chink!" He can stand it no
longer. His quick vision has detected
the tame bird in the cage, and he sweeps
down to demand an explanation of the
| strangers intentions. No sooner does he
alight on the board thanssthe spring that
has hitherto held the net is released, and
the inquisitive robin is caught.
Millions of larks enjoy themselves
every spring time in the cool, bluegrass
meadows Of Middle Tennessee, and troll
ing for larks is no mean profession in
larks ara known to frequent. the snarers
provide themselves with long net. This
| is all loaded down on one side with stone
or leaden weights to keep it close to the
ground. Stretching the net to it's fullest
extent, two men take corner of the
o4uO UAdU 10 uOU WOikAUoo haN 6lOnly
drag the field, until the futtering and
screaming of the little prisoners tell them
they haveIa good haul All In the DARK
the men 40 on their kneas, and, thrust
ing their hands through the meshes, take
out their captiyes, which they slip into
store cages. These are long, wooden
cages with round hole out in the top,
to which is fastened THE leg of a atocking
that hangs loosely inside, thus making
1t easy to drop in the larks and impossible
for them to get out again. 1t generally
happens that as many larks are taken
dead as alive by this system. 1t is al.
most impossible to taxa them at all ex-
cept with the assistance of two horses.
This is explained by the fact that the
sense of hearing is very acute in larks.
| the sliahtest noise of an.unusual charac-
ter alarming them. Larks are used to
the tramping of cattle, but not to the
footsteps of men. Sometimes, therefore,
the snarars take each one of the dragging
ropes in one hand and lead horse by
| the bride rrns with the other. The
birds are rnd irhedaby the tramping of
the fourfooted creatures, and the men,
keeping step with the horses, are not de-
tected.
Pegging for hooking birds is the most
lntersstingsof all the branches of bird
catching. Theanenlwho make business
of pegging need good pegging hooking
birds. The bird to be trained is put in q
stout black bag. He sulks little at first
and then he needs encouragement. 1t is
astonishing what odd NOISES will bring
on the back of a knife or the scrapine of
a bow on fiddle. In little while he
Will pipe away as well in the black bag
a out of it.. Then by degrees he gets
used to being handled. He is carried in
his osge about the house until he sings
as he goes Until he will stand all this
the pegging Is never tried.
Besides the decOy bird stuffed mock
ing bird is required, together with a half
dozen pegs. The pegs ARE made of whale