half (over the rubber), and draw the latter tightly. Next
lay on the arc of tin in the position shown in the illustration, and
by the aid of a fine needle and thread sew it through the holes,
including both leather and rubber in the stitches. When this is
done, the whistle is complete. If the gold beater's skin is not
attainable, a good substitute may be found in the thin outer membrane
of the leaf of a tough onion or leak, the pulp being scraped away.

[Illustration]

[Page 75]
To use the whistle, place it against the roof of the mouth, tin
side up, and with the edge of the rubber towards the front. When
once wet, it will adhere to the roof of the mouth, and by skilful
blowing, it can be made to send forth a most surprising variety
of sounds. The quack of the duck and the song of the thrush may
be made to follow each other in a single breath, and the squeal
of a pig or the neigh of a horse are equally within its scope. In
short, there is scarcely any animal, whether bird or quadruped,
the cry of which may not be easily imitated by a skilful use of
the prairie whistle, or, indeed, as it might with propriety be
called, the "menagerie whistle."

THE WILD GOOSE TRAP.

In our northern cold regions, where the wild geese and ptarmigan
flock in immense numbers, this trap is commonly utilized. It consists
merely of a large net fifty feet in length, and fifteen in width,
arranged on a framework, and propped in a slanting position by
two poles, after the manner of the sieve trap. It is generally
set on the ice; and the trapper, after attaching his strings to
the props, and sprinkling his bait at the foot of the net, retires
to a distance to await his chances. Tame geese are often used as
decoys, and sometimes the bird whistle already described is used
for the same purpose. For the capture of the ptarmigan, the bait
consists of a heap of gravel. It is hard to imagine a less tempting
allurement, but as the food of the birds during the winter is sapless
and hard, it becomes necessary for them to swallow a considerable
amount of gravel to promote digestion. The great depth of the snow
renders this commodity very scarce during the winter season; and
the Indians, taking advantage of this fact, succeed in capturing
immense numbers of the game in nets by the use of that simple
allurement. The gravel is packed on the surface of a pile of snow,
placed under the centre of the net, and the draw-string is carried
to some neighboring