Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-19
BIRDS AIDED BY. WAR

Absence of Soldiers Lessons
! Slaughter in Italy.
Foreign Correspondence Of The Star
| = LUCIANO. Italy. December 10, 1911.
one good result, at any rate, there has
been from the war between Italy and
Turkey. and that is a great saving Of
bird life this autumn. October, Novem-
Der and early December is the season of
| bird mtgrations from north to south. The
BIRDS fly from Germany and France, and
the northern lands generally. across the
high Alps and the ST. Gothard pass to
| SUMMER and more southern countries On
| their way they must go over northern
| Italy, but by the time they reach this
stage OF their journey they are tired and
| need rest and food. In the extreme
| south OF Switzerland, In Canton Ticino,
| around Lugano, and in the north of Italy
| especially In the Italian lakes district, are
many spots where these migratory birds
! habitually stop to repose their weary
! wings when going from north to SOUTH
Many people have commented on the
| decrease In the numbers Of small birds In
the Alps and in other parts OF Europe.
son OF it. II they visited northern Italy
just now they must find an explanation
OF the decrease and might perhaps even
wonder not that there are so few small
| birds. but that there are any left at all.
The slaughter Of birds which is going on
| at the present time. and has gone on
every autumn for ages past. is. indeed.
| so wantOn and cruel that It IL strange
| protest should 40
| against 1t by any power except Swift
zerland, the one most nearly concerned in
| the matter.
Slaughter Due to Greediness.
| The question will at once be asked
Why does this slaughter take placer"
PRIMARILY for greediness sake, for these
small birds are good to eat, some of them,
notably the figpeckers and thrushes, being
considered veritable delicacies. Perhaps
few of the best singing birds, If not
killed in course of being captured, may
be taken to the towns to be sold and put
in cages, but the immense majority of
the thousands and tens of thousands of
| birds caught are butchered to make an
Italian holiday-kiiled for Hastings sake
| Their feathers. certainly, are used for
cushions. but the fact remains that the
main purpose of all this bird slaughter
I Is always the same-that the victims may
be roasted and eaten with polenta (maize
porridge). The Italians, of course, are
VIGOROUSLY fond Of birds for food. There
Is nothing for instance. which they like
better than chicken. and II they cannot
get chicken they take small birds.
The way in which these smail birds are
trapped is devilish in its ingenuity. and
| is based on accurate observation of their
| habits "RoccolO'' is a word to be found
| in no Italian dictionary. but 1t may be
| translated as a bird slaughter house.
y, Ia tfnn hrt nfr
| towers, frequently to be seen on low
wooded hilltops In the north of Italy and
all around the Italian lakes. An ordinary
person seeing one for the first time would
probably a shrine. there being innumer-
able shrines to the Virgin and saints all
about the locality. One thing IL certain.
he would never suspect the purposes for
which the roccolo was built.
Berries to Attract Birds.
A roccolo is always situated among
woods, and usually much overgrown with
Ivy, honey suchies and other creepers. so
that it may be as inconspfcuous as posi-
ble Around 1t are planted holly. Siberian
cherry trees and other trees and shrubs
bearing abundance of berries Of which
birds are fond. In front is always an
open space, somewhat Of a slope with
semi of trees planted close togetner
partially encirciing 1t. Round these trees
net is hung. specially made with me
mesh and OF a grayish-blue color. which
makes it almost invisible. Inside the
tower which 10 of square,. substantial
shape Hike Cornish church tower
number Of decoy birds are kept prisoners.
Very early in the morning. well before
dawn, the bird slaughterers go up 10 the
roccolo. They first carefully examine tne
net to see that no leaves from the trees
have fallen and are sticking 70 IL 10 20 o o.
the decoy birds and put them down IN
the open space in front OF the roccoio
tower. between the nets and the tower:
The birds are attached TO r'ng s, Ias'e and
plenty Of food and water Is put down De-
| fore them This IL done just about dawn,
when all the migratory birds Wnfcn nave
been sleeping in the trees near .h are ,e waS
south. They hear the noise made by the
decoy birds at their morning meal ana
perhaps when flying past they see tnem
their own notes being skillfully initiated
by the bird catchers, who are hidden N
the upper story Of the roccolo tower, wei
out of sight.
These men learn by long practice ex-
actly how to initiate the calls OF the
various birds migrating at this time of
| the wear. AS soon as they consider that
a sufficient number Of birds is assembled
these men by pulling string cause bells
to ring loudly and make great noise
| and disturbance from above.
Work for Four Hours.
The birds, hearing the noise coming
| from above, naturally do not ny upward.
but toward the trees quite near the
ground, and are thus caught ct one time.
some being killed outright. others merely
injured. the majority. however. being
captured alive. The men then come down
| to pick up the birds. and those which are
still alive they kill by stavtng In the
breast bone.
This ruthless bird slaughter continues
from about in the morning till 81
When it is over the decoy birds are put
back in the tower till next morning. and
SO the slaughter goes on day after day
during the whole time Of the autumn
bird migrations. This year. however.
there has been less bird slaughter than
usual, for the simple reason that so
many bird slaughterers have been called
away to the war.
There are hundreds. II not thousands, OF
these roccolos from the Swiss frontier
as far as Venice, and the slaughter OF
birds thus goes on over large area, so
that 1t is impossible to estimate the num-
bar NJ yicffms The excuee offered by