images/Image141.gif Fig. 5 — Plan and Method of Setting Clap-Net
“When doctors differ, who shall decide?”
On mentioning the above to another birdcatcher he gave a huge snort of dissatisfaction, and roundly swore that my man knew “nought about it,” for he always set his cages as near the nets as possible; “for don’t it stand to reason,” quoth he, “that if you set your cages fur away, your ‘call birds’ will ’tice the wild ’uns down round ’em? an’ they won’t come near your nets.”
An important actor in the performance is the “play-bird,” which is a bird braced by a peculiar knot or “brace,” as shown in Fig. 6, on an arrangement called the play-stick.
The “play-stick” is resolvable into three parts, Fig. 7 being the ground peg, formed of a piece of hard wood about six inches long, having a round hole bored through close to the top, through which the “play-line” passes. Immediately underneath is a square slot for the reception of a piece of brass tube beaten flat at one end (Fig. 8), while the other end is left open for the reception of the “play-stick” (C, Fig. 9), simply a rough twig or piece of hard wood, upon which the bird is tied by the “brace” (Fig. 6) — which is constructed, as shown in drawing, by doubling a piece of string, tying a knot in the centre and then joining the ends. The head and body of the bird is thrust through, so that a loop catches it on each side and in front of the wings, the legs and tail being thrust through the other, one loop coming on each side of the body behind the wings. A swivel is attached at one of the knots, and, by another piece of string, is made fast to the play-stick near its end. The bird is thus perfectly free so far as the wings and legs are concerned.
images/Image142.gifFig. 6, 7 & 8 — “Play-stick” parts
The “play-stick,” as a whole, is represented in Fig. 9, which shows the bird in repose, with the end of the stick (C) resting on the ground, the play-line passing through a hole in the ground peg (A), while the part marked B works in the slot in the same.
A little food and water are put down by the play-bird’s side, to which it addresses itself in its intervals of rest. Directly birds appear, the play-line is smartly pulled, which has the effect of jerking the play-bird upwards, while at the same time it flutters its wings to regain its perch. This motion is mistaken by the wild birds as a natural proceeding; they accordingly alight around the play-bird, to assist it in feeding. The pull-line of the net is then smartly jerked, which causes the forked-line to fly inwards, and, acting on the hinged pegs and top and bottom lines as by a lever, the staves rise from the outside, become perpendicular, and finally fall over, inclosing all within the open space in the nets.