Call Bird Trap
Call bird trap
Name/Title
Call Bird TrapEntry/Object ID
2025.1.318Description
Wood and wire metal cage, including two levels, a lever top opening, bottom door and drinking cup.Context
Cage birds have been kept as pets for centuries but there developed a growing interest in the Industrial Revolution Perhaps this cage is similar to one described by Richard Kearton in ‘With Nature and a Camera’ in 1897. “Bullfinches were caught by many cottagers in Kent and Sussex during the winter months with the kind of trap shown. A call bird is placed in the lower compartment of the cage, and the upper one is baited with privet berries, which can easily be reached by the unwary victim through the open doorway shown in the picture. The trap is hung up in a tree, and a soon as the bird enters to partake of the good things provided by the benevolent peasant, its weight releases a small door above its head, which instantly closes, and eventually the little prisoner finds its way, along with five or six others, to a bird dealer’s shop in the nearest town.”Category
Country & Rural activities