Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1904-12-21
USE OF LIVE DECOYS
THE METHODS OF rRAPPERs WITH
ANIMATED LURES.


In the Capture of Their Own spe-
ctes-odd Scheme by Which Crows
and Jays Are Shared.
One of the curious Ways in which
man has utilized the animals about him
Is as living decoys to assist him in the
capture of wild animals. This Is done
in number of ways and with animals
of all kinds, from butterflies and fishes
to elephants. 1t is something quite diff
ferent from teaching animals to cap
ture their prey for the benefit not Of
themselves. but of their masters, MS
do trained chcetahs, falcons, cormo-
rants, offers and other predatory crea-
lures, since what now have in view
is the attraction of game within the
hunters reach, not Its chase.
European bird catchers have i'm
memorially practiced hanging live song
birds In cages beneath or among their
snares or tying them to perches in or
der to attract strangers by their voices.
The japanese know how to do this to
perfection.
In catching larks and other cage
birds In England the principal reliance
is placed upon flat nets SO arranged
that when a Y shaped cord is pulled
they will fall down together, combining
anything between them. Several stuff
ed birds are usually planted in the
space between the nets as If feeding,
while live one, known as Jockey"
is fastened to hinged perch that is
made to sway up and down by pulling
cord whenever any larks come near.
The jockeys are trained to sit con-
tentedly on these perches and sing,
and they seem to understand what is
expected of them. The best call birds
ut the beginning Of the season are
worth from IS to IS apiece, and a
bullfinch is on record which was the
means Of engaging $50 captives in four
seasons.
By similar method the Maoris Of
New Zealand obtain their kaka par
rots. This large, handsome and intel
ligent parrot was ut one time pet In
many households.
The commonest method Of catching
kakas was by means Of trained decoy
kaka, which called wild parrots to
perches skillfully arranged around tho
concealed trapper, who had only to
pull a string in order to capture his
bird. These perches were often elal-
orately ornamented, and the birds
manifested extreme fastidiousness"
in choosing some and avoiding others.
In view of this it is curious to read
in Ogilby's quaint America" publish
ed in 1872, how natives of Cuba origi-
nally captured like sort Of bird:
"The parrots which breed here used
to be taken by the natives after a
strange manner. A boy holding a bum
die Of herbs about his head climbs up
to the top of tree, holding n parrot
over his head, which by gripping he
forces to make a noise and thereby
draws others to come flying about
him, upon which, being expert in this
art, he throws a string with moose
made fast to stick about them and
pulls them to him."
A part of the pleasure of falconry in
India, where this sport is so cleverly
enjoyed and practiced by the mobiles, is
the catching Of the hawks, which are
used only for single season and then
set free. Some, such as the laggur,
are taken by smearing long twig
with Dfrdlime and arching 1t over an
unhappy sparrow tied to peg, but
the cherrug must be caught more skill
fully.
The one thing the high spirited chez
rug cannot endure Is to see a laggar
in peaceful possession Of some food or
enjoyment that he has not, and the in
variable result of the discovery Is for
the cherrug to pounce upon it and rob
the poor laggar, If possible. 1t is
through this jealousy that the hawk
catchers obtain their priced cherrugs.
They fasten to the feet of a laggar d
bundle of very strong horsehair nooses
garnished with feathers, then paste
bits of parchment over his eyes and
turn him loose, whereupon, being blind,
he rings" or circles, straight up. This
has been done because cherrug had
been perceived Us mere dot in the
sky, and when that Jealous and covet-
GUS cherrug sees this laggar, apparent
~ carrying rich prize, coming
straight up he thanks his stars for his
luck and swoops upon the intruder in
to his airy domain. The result is that
two surprised and indignant hawks
come tumbling to the ground, scream
ing and scratching.
Yarrell tells us that tho European
/ shrjI,e uot ito familiar snarific noma
excubitor (sentineD, from its use by
the continental falconers during the
autumn and winter when trapping fall
cons. 1.-THE shrike is fastened to the
ground and, screaming aloud, gives no.
tice to the falconer (who is concealed)
of the approach Of hawk"
A curious variation of this, where ar
unwilling bird becomes both lure and
trap, was described by Alexander Will
son in his great American Ornithol-
ogy."
Wilson says that ''crows have been
employed to catch crows by the the fol
lowing stratagem: A live crow is
pinned by the wings down to the
ground on his back by means Of two
buurp 1orkeu SUCKS. linus Sltuateu, LIE
cries nre loud and incessant, particu
larry If any other crows IRE in view
These sweeping down upon him are in
stantly grappled and held fast by the
PROSTATE prisoner, with the same in
stinctive impulse that urges drown
ing person to grasp at everything with
in his reach. The game being Olsen
gagged from his clutches, the trap Ii
again ready, and, by pinning dow
each captive successfully as soon a!
taken, in q short time you will prob
ably have large flock streaming
above in concert with the outrageou!
) prisoners below"
have seen It stated that jays have
been made to catch jays in England L
the same fashion.
A similar utilization of live traine
decoys in obtaining wild fowl has lon
been familiar to the Japanese and
now pursued by wealthy men in tina
| country oa snort and n lively one