Page:The American Boy's Handy Book edition 1.djvu/252

Select a smooth piece of ground and drive two stakes; to these attach a long cord, allowing it to stretch loosely upon the ground from one stake to the other. At intervals along the line fasten strong horse-hair nooses (Fig. 142). Sprinkle food Image missingFig. 142.Set-Line Snares. around and retire out of sight to watch. When the birds discover the food they will collect around it, and some one of them is almost certain to become entangled in one of the snares. As soon as a bird is snared it should be disentangled and put into a covered basket or a paper bag; pin-holes may be made in the bag to allow the air to enter. In this way birds may be carried home without injury; being in the dark they are not likely to hurt or disfigure themselves by struggling for their liberty. A cage is not only an awkward, unwieldy contrivance to carry in the field, but is objectionable from the fact that a wild bird caught and thrust into a cage will bruise its head and wings badly by striking against the bars in the efforts it makes to escape. Paper bags, pasteboard boxes, or covered baskets will do to carry home captured wild birds in.

Make a low arch by pointing both ends of a stick and forcing them into the ground. Cut a switch and bend it into the form of a lawn tennis racket, and with a string fasten the small end of the switch to the part that answers to the handle of the