Show IiB CATCHING QUAIL IN EGYPT More Than a Million of These little Birds Are Captured Yearly There has been much said lately of the capture of quail in Egypt in regard to the protest made by Frenchmen about carrying the birds across French territory for English use It is then interesting to have some details on tho long chase which is carried on against these unhappy little birds in the land of the Pharaohs The passage of bands of quail over the coast of the delta of the Nile from Port Said Alexandria begins in September Sep-tember and lasts a month and a half the birds arriving in little groups and alighting the dunes Generally the chase is made by means of nets five meters high which the natives extend on cords fastened to poles in the fashion of curtains gliding on their rods In reality the net is double The first near the side of the sea is of meshes very large and loose but on the back Is anothor net where the bird will really re-ally come and perch itself in the folds formed by this second net of small meshes There is another method of capture which is more picturesque Rows of dried branches ate placed on the shore At the foot of each branch Is disposed a tuft of fresh herbs in the middle of which is arranged an opening which ends in a snare The quail tired by its journey takes refuge in the branch then in the bunch of herbs naturally nat-urally without figuring to itself that it is going to put itself into a trap where a native will surprise and kill it With these perfected means of destruction I de-struction it Is not astonishing that each year more than 1000000 of these poor little birds are taken I I |