FOWLING. Thc act of taking birds by means of nets, snares, decoys, etc., is frequently alluded to in Scripture, mc,stly in a figurative and moral way. Birds of various kinds abound, and no doubt abounded, in ancient times, in Palestine. Canon Stanley speaks of countless birds of all kinds, aquatic fowls by the lake side, partridges and pigeons hovering, as on the Nile bank, over the rich plains of Genesareth' (Sinai and Palestine, p. 427). The capture of these for the table or other uses, would, we might expect, form the em ployment of many persons, and lead to the adop tion of various methods to effect it. Hence We rcad of the 'snare,' rin, Ps. xci. 3 ; cxxiv.
7 ; Hos. ix S : and of the net,' nzji, Prov. 17; Hos. vii. : of the fowler,' or t)r =- snarer. In Hos. v. 1, both net and snare are mentioned together. The mokesh (Clpin) is used synonymously with the :pack, Amos iii. 5. This was employed for taking either beasts or birds. It was a trap set in the path, Prov. vii. 23 ; xxii. 5 : or hidden on or in the ground, Ps. cxl. 6 ; cxlii. 4. ' The form of this springe, or trap net, appears from two passages, Amos iii. 5, and Ps. lxix. 23. It was in two parts, which, -when set, were spread out upon the ground, and slightly fastened with a stick (trap-stick), so that as soon as a bird or beast touched the stick, the parts flew up and in closed the bird in the net, or caught the foot of the animal. Thus Amos iii. 5, Doth a bird fall into a snare upon the ground, when there is no trap-stick for her ? doth the snare spring front the ground and take nothing at all ? e., does anything hap pen without a cause ?' [But here the Illokesh, rendered trap -stick,' is synonymous with the 15cu-h, or snare.] Ps. lxix. 23, Let their table be fore thern 'become a snare ;' here the inr7tf, is the Oriental cloth or leather spread upon.the ground like a net (Robinson's Ges.) The nco was a net spread or cast over the bird or beast to be caught. My net also will .1 spread upon him, Ezek. xii. 13 ; see also Ezek. xvii. 2o ; xix. 8 ; xxxii. 3. Con siderable dexterity must have been required in the management of it.
There seems to be a reference to the decoy in Jer. v. 27---` As a cage full of birds, so are their houses of deceit'—tame birds being placed in the trap cage to entice the wild which were caught by this stratagem.
We do not read of any other mode of fowling spoken of, or referred to, in the Bible ; yet, most probably, the Egyptian method, described by Wilkinson, \vas not only known, but employed by fowlers in Palestine Fowling \vas one of the great amusements of all classes. Those who fol
lowed this amusement for their livelihood used nets and traps ; but the amateur sportsman pursued his game in the thickets, and felled them with the throw-stick, priding himself on his dexterity in its use. The bow was not employed for this purpose, nor was the sling adopted, except by gardeners and peasants, to frighten the birds from the vineyards and fields. The throw-stick was made of heavy wood, and flat, so as to offer little resistance to the air in its flight ; and the distance to vvhich an ex pert arm could throw it was considerable ; though they always endeavoured to approach the birds as near as possible, under cover of the bushes and reeds. It was from one foot and a quarter to two feet in length, and about one and a half inch in breadtb, slightly curved at the upper end ; but in no instance had it the round shape and flight of the Australian Boomerang.
On their fowling excursions they usually pro ceeded with a party of friends and attendants, sometimes accompanied by the members of their family, and even by their young children, to the jungles and thickets of the marsh-lands, or to the lakes of their own grounds, which, especially dur ing the inundation, abounded with fowl ; and seated in punts made of the papyrus, they glided, without disturbing the birds, amidst the lofty reeds that grow in the water, and masked their approach.
. . The attendants collected the game as it fell, and one of them was always ready to hand a fresh stick to the chasseur as soon as he had thrown. They frequently took with them a decoy bird, and, in order to keep it to its post, a female was selected, whose nest, containing eggs, was de posited in the boat.' A favourite cat soxnetimes attended them on these occasions, and performed the part of a re triever, amidst the thickets on the bank ' (Pop. Acct. of the Ancient Egyptians, i. 234-8).
A word must be added on a Mosaic regulation as to birds. In Deut. xxii. 6, 7, whoever finds a bird's nest is permitted to take the eggs, or the young, but forbidden to take the dam with them. This law breathes a spirit of wisdom and benevo lence ; being obviously designed to prevent the extermination of any species of birds, which Would be an injury, in a country where annoying and de structive insects abound ; and, at the same time, supplying a check to their undue increase, which would itself prove an evil,—a regulation which ig norance and stupid prejudice have often overlooked or violated, with the natural disastrous results (See Kitto's Pict. L'ib. loc.)-1. J.
FOX. [SnuAL.]