Have all lim’d bushes to betray thy wings,
And, fly thou how thou cans’t, they’ll tangle thee.”
Henry VI. Part II. Act ii. Sc. 4.
Further allusions to the use of birdlime will be found in Othello (Act ii. Sc. 1), and Twelfth Night (Act iii. Sc. 4).
Now-a-days the practice is to set up a stuffed bird of the species required against a tree by means of a wire, and surround it with three or four other wires well smeared with birdlime, placing a live call-bird in a small dark cage at the foot of the tree to attract the attention of the wild birds. These latter, on hearing the notes of the captive, fly towards the spot, and deceived by the appearance of the stuffed specimen, perch close to it upon a limed wire and are caught, the owner of the snare generally coming out of ambush to take them before they have time to free themselves.
BIRD-TRAPS.
A simple and effective bird-trap was made as follows:—
Procure a square frame covered on one side with wire netting, as shown in the woodcut.
Tie each end of a pliant stick to two corners of the frame, to form a hoop. Cut a straight stick, forked at one end, and a shorter pliant stick.
