[PW] "Pigeon-killers"

[Ivan Van Laningham]

Hi All--

On Jan 21, 2008 5:09 PM, Brian Whatcott <betwys1 at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> At 05:16 PM 1/21/2008, Kerry Webb, you wrote:

>
> This book reference [which I have angle bracketed] mentioned two
> plausible methods: a tall stick with lines to sweep it rapidly across
> the flight path of great flights of pigeons: another mentioned a wide net to
>   be hoisted on two sticks to intercept a flock.   Elsewhere, I have
> read of smearing a sticky glue on tree branches as a bird snare.
>

Method A only works with passenger pigeons; no extant pigeon flocks
with a high enough density to make this feasible.  Method B is called
"bird lime."  It is possible that the stick is called a "pigeon
killer," especially since the question is for a term in use in 1884.

Metta,
Ivan
-- 
Ivan Van Laningham
God N Locomotive Works
http://www.pauahtun.org/
http://www.python.org/workshops/1998-11/proceedings/papers/laningham/laningham.html
Army Signal Corps:  Cu Chi, Class of '70
Author:  Teach Yourself Python in 24 Hours