Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-04-25
SLAUGHTER At TRAPS.
BaltImore sun. April 1ath.

avenue. AT this match were gathered
some of tine most notable cracks in the
county, aud they gave perfect ex-
hibitone OF the art of killing birds
from the traps. In the last two days
they put out Of existence $500 birds.
Besides the sportsnen and their
friends an element which took con-
siderable interest in the match and
closely observed its various features
was that composed Of those who believe
! that the shouting of pigeons from traps
is cruelty which should be summarily
stopped by law. Agents of the Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Ami
mails we're on the grounds and will
report to the society what they saw.
Following liz what the society will
! learn:
The marksmen stand upon a short
boardwalk elevated an inch or two
above the ground. In front of them,
at distance Of "a yards, are five traps
for releasing the birds. These trays
are Eatent hollow cubes, each ontain-
ing pigeon. When string is pulled
from the trap-puller's desk, behind
the shooter, the four sides of the box
fall outward, giving the pigeon an
opportunity to fly. Quite often it is
so startled by the sudden collapse of it's
prison that it stands dazed and does
not fly, whereupon the clerk pulls the
string again and piece Of tin, painted
red and placed iD the bottom of tue
trap, flies up and down. This is usually
effective in making the captive take
flight. If he is still obdurate one of
the boys who are in the pit in the
centre of the line of traps throws at the
pigeon dead bird or his hat, or any
thing else that is handy, and it is
seldom that after all this the mark
refuses to use Its wings. Still, there
are birds which resist all devices to
make it fly, the scorer calls mo bird"
and another is placed in the trap, while
the obdurate one has dog sent after
it to make it get out of the field,
Although the boardwalk extends
within "a yards of the traps, most of
the shooters stand 30 yards back, aud
the handicapping is done by making
the better marksman stand further
back than one who is not so proficient.
When the marksman takes his position
he does not know which Of the five
traps is to be sprung. That is deter
mined by the ''puller, who turns a
wheel, on the disk on which are the
numerals from / to 8. The number
which stops opposite the pointer is the
number Of the trap which he must
spring. OF course, the shooter is
equally ignorant of the direction in
which the bird will fly. Some fly in
one direction, some another, as it hap
pens to be standing when the trap is
sprung. Some rise from the ground at
a sharp angle, others start with low,
hard flight, making gradual ascension.
The gunner in position, the trap
sprung and the bird behaving as it
should to tie eulogized as good target,
there is report when the pigeon mas
progressed from 5 to 10 feet on its way
to fancied freedom, and when experts
such as have besn in Baltimore this
week are shooting it is seldom that the
pigeon does not fall, generally going a
few feet as a result of it's momentum
and descending to the ground at an
angle Of about 40 degrees. As rule
when the bird reaches the earth its
wings are Topping, and it makes con-
vulsive movement which is combina-
tion of crawling, walking and attempt
at flight, presenting spectacle which
elicits EXPLANATIONS of pity from those
who have never seen a shoot before,
even though they may not be particu-
larry tenderhearted. In the vast ma
| VI NonoS bho lhblilnu
diately fires the second barrel at the
struggling creature, with the double
purpose of ending its agony and of pre-
venting any possibility of its developing
unexpected recuperative powers and
| flying out OF bounds in last effort.
The gunner having finished, bell is
pulled to notify the boys in the PIT to
refill the emptied trap II the bird has
fallen near the trap the boy gathers it
in and takes it to his refuge with him,
wringing its neck in a nonchalant
manner as he goes If not convenient
for him to reach, retrieving dog is
sent from the clubhouse TO bring in the
bird. The dog is we'll trained to the
work. 1t takes the bird in it's mouth,
but does not bite il, grabbing the body
from the under side, though sometimes
by the back, near the tail, very much
in the way in which bird is carried
by q man. The wounded creature may
be still struggling when it is returned
to the stand. and if it is boy wrings
its neck, though the wringing is liable
to be neglected should something dis
tract the youths attention, and the
pigeon is allowed to gasp its life away
upon pile of its unfortunate prede-
| ce5sors.
/ "A WulCu was lblb w buH buIUllUR
yesterday, and it was found that the
average time between the hit and the
wiring of the neck either at the stand
or at the pit was between 10 and 20
seconds. In many cases it was easily
seen that the struggles of the bird we're
but the result OF what is called the re-
tlex nervous action from its being shot
through the heart or hoad, and probably
did not indicate sense OF suffering
upon the part of the victim, but in
other cases it was equally evident that
while injured beyond all ability to
escape the bird was by no means un-
conscious.
| Birds not brought in to have their
neoka wrung are of two Kinds. The
first is that Which escapes entirely
unhurt. They are very few. These
birds go on their way to freedom, as
| they think, but almost invariably into
the jaws of certain death, for surround
ing the grounds of the association is a
ring of free-lance gunners who are
termed "bushwhackers. They greet
| the poor bird with regular lombard
tnent, ard the birds which escape them
are so few in number that they are not
worth considering.
The second class is composed of birds
| that are hit but not instantly killed by
the marksmen. These vary all the way
from those that fall dead just outside
j of the bounds to those which are able
| to continue for several hundred yards
and receive the finishing stroke from
| the Eushwhackers.
| 80 ..,,, Sc 10 ho