Henri Barthe & The Lark Mirror; with a Taste of Ortolan Bunting

Henri Barthe was a manufacturer of primers, wads and cartridges. His heritage traces back to the earliest manufacturers of primers and percussion caps. This article takes a look at his company and the Lark Mirrors and their usage that he trademarked a special cartridge for.

Very cool. Thanks

Beautiful collection of lark mirrors in the linked article. Henri must've been a marvel at salesmanship designing and selling a shotshell purpose built as a solution to a problem that didn't exist--killing a lark hovering over the spinning mirrors. In 1969 I was hunting with a friend and his BIL who was a USAF pilot previously stationed in France. He recounted hunting larks with the spinning mirror. My fascination with his account led to me assembling the largest collection of lark mirrors in a tri-county area in SE GA. It would take 4 to beat the number in my collection. For all I know I may have the largest collection in SE Ga and beyond.

What a fun article. I would love to see the mirrors in action. Somewhere I have a few French bird whistles. Among them may be a Lark whistle. If I find it, I'll send it to you. Daryl

Another vote for a video!

Dont the Italians and Spanish still shoot larks as game birds? I saw a you tube video about this, in Italy best i can remember

Whilst not wishing to disrespect the traditions and customs of other lands, was was less than impressed by a YouTube video of Thrush hunting in Italy.

As I remember it involved using a caged song bird as a decoy, and using .410 shotguns from a blind to shoot sitting Thrushes off the branches of a nearly tree.

If there were finer points involved they escaped me.

here's an advertisement by Beretta for the M412 single shot. It depicts a painting of songbird hunting with a blind and songbird call cages. Gil

http://www.berettaweb.com/Beretta_Folding_Shotguns/Beretta_412_series.htm

Here is the website I credited in the article for that lark mirror collection: http://le-miroir-a-alouettes.fr/

This guy has apparently devoted his life to these it seems!

The "Catalogues par Années" (Catalogs by Year) section has the most info. It lists years that various ones listed with their catalog image and then the the pictures of them from his collection.

He has a whole section in there on how to display them too so there much be other collectors!

Also, for instance, here is the whole page about the middle one in your collection, @GLS : http://le-miroir-a-alouettes.fr/1892-manufacture or maybe it's this one: https://le-miroir-a-alouettes.fr/brevet-chaillet

Brilliant collection of lark mirrors or lark twirlers as they are sometimes termed. Never used in the U.K. but something I am always on the look-out for at sales just in case one appears as very few would know it's true identity. So far no luck! In the Winchester catalogue that is produced for the European market and found in England they advertise cartridges especially for small birds; they are called 'Super Grives' and are described as 'Light load and maximum velocity against small migratory birds'. 32 gram 12 bore in sizes 7.5,9,10,11 &12 shot. Not something either legal or considered ethical in the U.K.

Sometimes, when helping out on formal game shoots we get people from various European countries who come across and pay for a day shooting driven pheasant. They get most excited when some small song birds come through and have to be stopped from shooting them. They have to be supervised on a one to one basis to prevent anarchy. If you hear the shout La Becasse its best to throw yourself flat on the ground! Even in some European countries there are restriction on certain migratory species but the law is rather ineffective and as a result certain species are becoming endangered; in particular Turtle Doves. Migratory birds coming up through from Africa to take advantage of the longer Northern days have to cross at certain points when they get to the Mediterranean with pinch points which cross southern Spain, Sicily and Malta and these are where the worst offenders hang out!

Here you are for you Classical buffs: The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughn Williams. One of the finest violin pieces ever written and performed. https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...FE6487194C7C3186EFAAFE6487&FORM=VIRE Lagopus.....

Here is a Manufacture française d'armes et cycles de Saint-Etienne catalog from 1914 that lists a table on the right side with various animals and their recommended shot size. For alouettes (larks) they recommend #10 shot for the first and second shot when using lark mirrors. And differentiate when hunting them "au cul levé" or "with raised ass" whatever that is! When hunting that way they recommend #9 shot for the second shot. ( https://grives.net/chasse_grive_cul_leve.html talks about this "raised ass" thrush hunting mode.)

You sir must have forgotten the devil went down to Georgia

Thank you for that, Lagopus. Stupendous...
JR

My pleasure. Pleased that you approved. Lagopus.....