The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1918-09-04
OLDITA[IAN SPORT
Peculiar Method of Sharing Mi
grating Pigeons
At Cava del Tirreni the Birds Are Way
laid With Nets and Slings-Much
Ingenuity Necessary to Sc
cure Good bag"

It is not often that one comes across
little place that has an ingenious
and exciting sport all it's own. AT Cava
del Tirreni in Italy, however, there
has for thousand years existed a pc
culiar form Of pigeon catching. 1t was
introduced in S92, says Mr.. Herbert vi
Wan in Italy at War and it has -four
ished ever since. At the beginning OF
every autumn great flocks of pigeons
migrate from Siberia to Africa and
pass over Cava and the Gulf of Salcr-
no. They probably have other routes,
but Cava is the only place where they
are waylaid with nets and sings. The
season is at its height from the 10Th to
10Th of October.
The pigeon catchers are mostly men
| of the lower middle class, who club to-
gether to form six societies, Or
games" A game usually consists of
three or four towers and clearing
where the nets are set up. One tower
is probably a thousand yards from the
net, and the nearest perhaps seventy
yards, but the distances vary. The
towers are tall and slim, windowless
and weather-beaten. There are steps
about halfway up the inside, and a
rickety ladder leads to the parapet at
the top Each society has also neat
little clubhouse, usually near the chief
tower
In q merry mood the members take
! their places in the fresh morning air.
e l., 7 Il,
coats, top-boots and peaked caps. Two
men ascend each tower and the rest
are distributed among the nets. In
each of the clearings stands a small
house from the center of which rises
a tall black mast. To that two huge
| nets are fastened. stretching right and
left to clumps of trees and spreading
out obliquely to the ground. Inside
the house is a handle and cOgWheel
for raising the weighted nets. The
lockout place is a straw hut two or
three miles away in the direction from
which the pigeons are expected. When
the watcher sights a flock of birds he
gives signal on his horn, which other
watchers scattered about the woods
| take up.
The birds travel at a tremendous
speed, always with a leader, and in
docks Of from so to 100. Every one
takes to cover, for the birds are easily
frightened. The men on the towers
are provided with long sings and
whitewashed stones about the size of
small hens eggs. These they discharge
with great force. The pigeons, it is
said, mistake the stones for hawks and
make frantic efforts to avoid them,
so the singers must fling the stones
where they do not wish the birds to
go; yet when they are flying high, a
stone flung beneath them viii bring
them hurting downward. Then, with
loud cries, the watchers drive them TO-
ward the nets. The stone-sIinging is
the essence of the sport, and it re
quires strong muscles, a quick eye and
steady aim.
But the netting is also difficult The
, Gus; everything now depends upon
him. If he releases the weight at tbs
right moment, the net comes down in
stantly and the birds are bagged. A
moment too soon, and they see the
danger and avoid it; moment toe
late and they pass in safety. 1t is a
matter of an instant, and many more
fiocls escape than are taken.
The birds are gray and somewhat
smaller than the domestic pigeon
They cannot be trained or tanned The
sport is far from being profitable, fO1
even when they have good luck the
, pigeon catchers never take enough
i. birds to pay for the elaborate prepare.
ion they have made. But the moment
when the nets whirl down at CaYa is
moment of rare excitement.