Holly and young elder shoots also afford it. The bark is boiled
for seven or eight hours, till quite soft, and is then drained of its
water and laid in heaps, in pits dug in the ground, where it is covered
with stones and left for two or three weeks to ferment; but less time is
required, if the weather be hot. It is watered from time to time, if
necessary. In this way, it passes into a mucilaginous state; and is then
pounded into a paste, washed in running water, and kneaded till it is
free from dirt and chips. Lastly, it is left for four or five days in
earthen vessels, to ferment and purify itself, when it becomes fit for
use. It ought to be greenish, sour, gluey, stringy, and sticky. It
becomes brittle when dry, and may be powdered; but, on being wetted, it
becomes sticky again. (Ure's Dictionary.)
Vast flocks of birds frequent the scattered watering-places of dry
countries at nightfall and at daybreak: by liming the sedges and bushes
that grow about them, numbers of birds could be caught.
Crows may be killed by twisting up a piece of paper like an extinguisher,
dropping a piece of meat in it, and smearing its sides with bird-lime.
When the bird pokes his head in, his eyes are gummed up and blinded; and
he towers upwards in the air, whence he soon falls down exhausted, and,
it may be, dead with fright. (Lloyd.) Fish-hooks, baited with meat, are
good to catch these sorts of birds.
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