Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1918-08-16
0LDITALIAN SPORT
Peculiar Method of Sharing Mi
grating Pigeons
At cava del Tirreni the Birds Are way
laid With Nets and Siings-Much
Ingenuity Necessary to Sc
cure Good "Bag."

It Is not often that one comes across
a little place that has an ingenious
and exciting sport all its own. AT CaVa
del Tirreni in Italy, however, therc
has for thousand years existed pc
culiar form of pigeon catching. 1t was
introduced in S92, says Mr.. Herbert vi
Wan in Italy at War and 1t has Hour
ished ever since. At the beginning OF
every autumn great flocks of pigeons
migrate from Siberia to Africa anu
pass over Cava and the Gulf OF SAFER
no. They probably have other routes
but Cava is the only place where they
are waylaid with nets and sings. Inc
season is at its height from the 10Th TO
25th of October.
The pigeon catchers are mostly men
of the lower middle class, who ciub To-
pether to form six societies, or
games" A,game usually consists oI
three or four towers and clearing
where the nets are set up. One tower
is probably n thousand yards from the
net. and the nearest perhaps seventy
wards. but the distances vary. Inc
towers are tall and slim, windoWless
and weather-beaten. There are steps
about halfway up the inside, ana d
rickety ladder leads to the parapet at
the top. Each society has also neat
little clubhouse, usually near the CHER
tower.
In a merry mood the members take
their places in the fresh morning air.
Most of them are dressed in velVeteen
coats, top-bootS and peaked caps. Two
men ascend each tower and the resi-
are distributed among the nets. Id
each of the clearings stands q small
house from the center of which rises
q tall black mast. To that two huge
nets are fastened, stretching right ana
left to clumps of trees and spreading
out obliauely 70 the ground. Inside
the house is a handle and a cogwheei
for raising the weighted nets. The
lockout place is q 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 O signal on his horn, which other
watchers scattered about the woods
take up.
The birds travel at tremendous
speed, always with a leader, and in
focks Of from 80 to 100. Every one
takes to cover, for the birds are easily
frightened. The men on the towers
are provided with long sings ana
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 tc
go; vet when they are flying high,
stone flung beneath them will bring
| them hurtling downward. Then, with
loud cries, the watchers drive them to-
ward the nets. The stone-slinging is
the essence Of the sport, and 1t re
uuires strong muscles, quick eye and
| steady aim.
But the netting is also difficult. The
man at the ropes is white and nerv-
GUS; everything now depends upon
him. If he releases the weight at the
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 too
late and they pass in safety. 1t is a
matter Of an instant, and many more
aocks 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, for
even when they have good luck the
pigeon catchers never take enough
birds to pay for the elaborate prepare
ton they have made. But the moment
when the nets whirl down at Cava is
a moment of rare excitement.