Chapter 13

HYGIENIC NOTES.

[This chapter is taken in full from a work on ornithology, written by Dr. Coues of the Smithsonian Institution. It is the advice of an accomplished naturalist and sportsman to his fellow-naturalists, but is equally adapted to the young camper. Hardly any one can write more understandingly on the subjects here presented than the doctor, who has had long experience with the army, both in the field and garrison, and is an enthusiastic student of natural history besides. The remarks upon alcoholic stimulants are especially recommended to the reader, coming as they do from an army officer, and not a temperance reformer.

Those who wish to become familiar with the details of bird-collecting will find a treasure in the doctor's book, "Field Ornithology, comprising a Manual of Instruction for procuring, preparing, and preserving Birds; and a check list of North American Birds. By Dr. Elliott Coues, U.S.A. Salem: Naturalists' Agency."]

ACCIDENTS.

The secret of safe _climbing_ is never to relax one hold until another is secured; it is in spirit equally applicable to scrambling over rocks, a particularly difficult thing to do safely with a loaded gun. Test rotten, slippery, or otherwise suspicious holds, before trusting them. In lifting the body up anywhere, keep the mouth shut, breathe through the nostrils, and go slowly.

In _swimming_ waste no strength unnecessarily in trying to stem a current; yield partly, and land obliquely lower down; if exhausted, float: the slightest motion of the hands will ordinarily keep the face above water; in any event keep your wits collected. In fording deeply, a heavy stone [in the hands, above water] will strengthen your position.

Never sail a boat experimentally: if you are no sailor, take one with you, or stay on land.

In crossing a high narrow foot-path, never look lower than your feet; the muscles will work true if not confused with faltering instructions from a giddy brain. On soft ground see what, if any thing, has preceded you; large hoof-marks generally mean that the way is safe: if none are found, inquire for yourself before going on. Quicksand is the most treacherous because far more dangerous than it looks; but I have seen a mule's ears finally disappear in genuine mud.

Cattle-paths, however erratic, commonly prove the surest way out of a difficult place, whether of uncertain footing or dense undergrowth.

"TAKING COLD."

This vague "household word" indicates one or more of a long varied train of unpleasant affections nearly always traceable to one or the other of only two causes,--_sudden change_ of temperature, and _unequal distribution_ of temperature. No extremes of heat or cold can alone affect this result: persons frozen to death do not "take cold" during the process. But if a part of the body be rapidly cooled, as by evaporation from a wet article of clothing, or by sitting in a draught of air, the rest of the body remaining at an ordinary temperature; or if the temperature of the whole be suddenly changed by going out into the cold, or especially by coming into a warm room,--there is much liability of trouble.

There is an old saying,--

"When the air comes through a hole, Say your prayers to save your soul."

And I should think almost any one could get a "cold" with a spoonful of water on the wrist held to a key-hole. Singular as it may seem, sudden warming when cold is more dangerous than the reverse: every one has noticed how soon the handkerchief is required on entering a heated room on a cold day. Frost-bite is an extreme illustration of this. As the Irishman said on picking himself up, it was not the fall, but stopping so quickly, that hurt him: it is not the lowering of the temperature to freezing point, but its subsequent elevation, that devitalizes the tissue. This is why rubbing with snow, or bathing in cold water, is required to restore safely a frozen part: the arrested circulation must be very gradually re-established, or inflammation, perhaps mortification, ensues.

General precautions against taking cold are almost self-evident in this light. There is ordinarily little if any danger to be apprehended from wet clothes, so long as exercise is kept up; for the "glow" about compensates for the extra cooling by evaporation. Nor is a complete drenching more likely to be injurious than wetting of one part. But never sit still wet, and in changing rub the body dry. There is a general tendency, springing from fatigue, indolence, or indifference, to neglect damp feet,--that is to say, to dry them by the fire; but this process is tedious and uncertain. I would say especially, "Off with muddy boots and sodden socks at once:" dry stockings and slippers after a hunt may make just the difference of your being able to go out again, or never. Take care never to check perspiration: during this process the body is in a somewhat critical condition, and the sudden arrest of the function may result disastrously, even fatally. One part of the business of perspiration is to equalize bodily temperature, and it must not be interfered with. The secret of much that is said about _bathing_ when heated lies here. A person overheated, panting it may be, with throbbing temples and a _dry_ skin, is in danger partly because the natural cooling by evaporation from the skin is denied; and this condition is sometimes not far from a "sunstroke." Under these circumstances, a person of fairly good constitution may plunge into the water with impunity, even with benefit. But, if the body be already cooling by sweating, rapid abstraction of heat from the surface may cause internal congestion, never unattended with danger.

Drinking ice-water offers a somewhat parallel case; even on stopping to drink at the brook, when flushed with heat, it is well to bathe the face and hands first, and to taste the water before a full draught. It is a well-known excellent rule, not to bathe immediately after a full meal; because during digestion the organs concerned are comparatively engorged and any sudden disturbance of the circulation may be disastrous.

The imperative necessity of resisting drowsiness under extreme cold requires no comment.

In walking under a hot sun, the head may be sensibly protected by green leaves or grass in the hat; they may be advantageously moistened, but not enough to drip about the ears. Under such circumstances the slightest giddiness, dimness of sight, or confusion of ideas, should be taken as a warning of possible sunstroke, instantly demanding rest, and shelter if practicable.

HUNGER AND FATIGUE

are more closely related than they might seem to be: one is a sign that the fuel is out, and the other asks for it. Extreme fatigue, indeed, destroys appetite: this simply means temporary incapacity for digestion. But, even far short of this, food is more easily digested and better relished after a little preparation of the furnace. On coming home tired it is much better to make a leisurely and reasonably nice toilet, than to eat at once, or to lie still thinking how tired you are; after a change and a wash you feel like a "new man," and go to the table in capital state. Whatever dietetic irregularities a high state of civilization may demand or render practicable, a normally healthy person is inconvenienced almost as soon as his regular mealtime passes without food; and few can work comfortably or profitably fasting over six or eight hours. Eat before starting; if for a day's tramp, take a lunch; the most frugal meal will appease if it do not satisfy hunger, and so postpone its urgency. As a small scrap of practical wisdom, I would add, Keep the remnants of the lunch if there be any; for you cannot always be sure of getting in to supper.

STIMULATION.

When cold, fatigued, depressed in mind, and on other occasions, you may feel inclined to resort to artificial stimulus. Respecting this many-sided theme I have a few words to offer--of direct bearing on the collector's case. It should be clearly understood, in the first place, that a stimulant confers no strength whatever: it simply calls the powers that be into increased action, at their own expense. Seeking real strength in stimulus is as wise as an attempt to lift yourself up by your boot-straps. You may gather yourself to leap the ditch, and you clear it; but no such muscular energy can be sustained: exhaustion speedily renders further expenditure impossible. But now suppose a very powerful mental impression be made, say the circumstance of a succession of ditches in front, and a mad dog behind: if the stimulus of terror be sufficiently strong, you may leap on till you drop senseless. Alcoholic stimulus is a parallel case, and is not seldom pushed to the same extreme. Under its influence you never can tell when you _are_ tired; the expenditure goes on, indeed, with unnatural rapidity, only it is not felt at the time; but the upshot is, you have all the original fatigue to endure and to recover from, _plus_ the fatigue resulting from over-excitation of the system. Taken as a fortification against cold, alcohol is as unsatisfactory as a remedy for fatigue. Insensibility to cold does not imply protection. The fact is, the exposure is greater than before; the circulation and respiration being hurried, the waste is greater; and, as sound fuel cannot be immediately supplied, the temperature of the body is soon lowered. The transient warmth and glow over the system has both cold _and_ depression to endure. There is no use in borrowing from yourself, and fancying you are richer.

Secondly, the value of any stimulus (except in a few exigencies of disease or injury) is in proportion, not to the intensity, but to the equableness and durability, of its effect. This is one reason why tea, coffee, and articles of corresponding qualities, are preferable to alcoholic drinks: they work so smoothly that their effect is often unnoticed, and they "stay by" well. The friction of alcohol is tremendous in comparison. A glass of grog may help a veteran over the fence; but no one, young or old, can shoot all day on whiskey.

I have had so much experience in the use of tobacco as a mild stimulant, that I am probably no impartial judge of its merits. I will simply say, I do not use it in the field, because it indisposes to muscular activity, and favors reflection when observation is required; and because temporary abstinence provokes the morbid appetite, and renders the weed more grateful afterwards.

Thirdly, undue excitation of any physical function is followed by a corresponding depression, on the simple principle that action and reaction are equal; and the balance of health turns too easily to be wilfully disturbed. Stimulation is a draft upon vital capital, when interest alone should suffice: it may be needed at times to bridge a chasm; but habitual living beyond vital income infallibly entails bankruptcy in health. The use of alcohol in health seems practically restricted to purposes of sensuous gratification on the part of those prepared to pay a round price for this luxury. The three golden rules here are,--Never drink before breakfast; never drink alone; and never drink bad liquor. Their observance may make even the abuse of alcohol tolerable. Serious objections, for a naturalist at least, are that science, viewed through a glass, seems distant and uncertain, while the joys of rum are immediate and unquestionable; and that intemperance, being an attempt to defy certain physical laws, is therefore eminently unscientific.

* * * * *

Besides the above good advice by Dr. Coues, the following may prove useful to the camper:--

Diarrhoea may result from overwork and gluttony combined, and from eating indigestible or uncooked food, and from imperfect protection of the stomach. "Remove the cause, and the effect will cease." A flannel bandage six to twelve inches wide, worn around the stomach, is good as a preventive and cure.

The same causes may produce cholera morbus; symptoms, violent vomiting and purging, faintness, and spasms in the arms and limbs. Unless accompanied with cramp (which is not usual), nature will work its own cure. Give warm drinks if you have them. Do not get frightened, but keep the patient warm, and well protected from a draught of air.

The liability to costiveness, and the remedies therefor, are noted on p. 55 of this book.

A very rare occurrence, but a constant dread with some people, is an insect crawling into the ear. If you have oil, spirits of turpentine, or alcoholic liquor at hand, fill the ear at once. If you have not these, use coffee, tea, warm water (not too hot), or almost any liquid which is not hurtful to the skin.

MARSHALL HALL'S READY METHOD IN SUFFOCATION, DROWNING, ETC.

1st, Treat the patient _instantly on the spot_, in the _open air_, freely exposing the face, neck, and chest to the breeze, except in severe weather.

2d, In order _to clear the throat_, place the patient gently on the face, with one wrist under the forehead, that all fluid, and the tongue itself, may fall forward, and leave the entrance into the windpipe free.

3d, _To excite respiration_, turn the patient slightly on his side, and apply some irritating or stimulating agent to the nostrils, as _veratrine_, _dilute ammonia_, &c.

4th, Make the face warm by brisk friction; then dash cold water upon it.

5th, If not successful, lose no time; but, _to imitate respiration_, place the patient on his face, and turn the body gently but completely _on the side and a little beyond_, then again on the face, and so on alternately. Repeat these movements deliberately and perseveringly, _fifteen times only_ in a minute. (When the patient lies on the thorax, this cavity is _compressed_ by the weight of the body, and _ex_piration takes place. When he is turned on the side, this pressure is removed, and _in_spiration occurs.)

6th, When the prone position is resumed, make a uniform and efficient pressure _along the spine_, removing the pressure immediately, before rotation on the side. (The pressure augments the _ex_piration, the rotation commences _in_spiration.) Continue these measures.

7th, Rub the limbs _upward_, with _firm pressure_ and with _energy_. (The object being to aid the return of venous blood to the heart.)

8th, Substitute for the patient's wet clothing, if possible, such other covering as can be instantly procured, each bystander supplying a coat or cloak, &c. Meantime, and from time to time, _to excite inspiration_, let the surface of the body be _slapped_ briskly with the hand.

9th, Rub the body briskly till it is dry and warm, then dash _cold_ water upon it, and repeat the rubbing.

Avoid the immediate removal of the patient, as it involves a _dangerous loss of time_; also the use of bellows or any _forcing_ instrument; also the _warm bath_ and _all rough treatment_.

POISONS.

In all cases of poisoning, the first step is to evacuate the stomach. This should be effected by an emetic which is _quickly_ obtained, and most powerful and speedy in its operation. Such are, powdered mustard (a large tablespoonful in a tumblerful of warm water), powdered alum (in half-ounce doses), sulphate of zinc (ten to thirty grains), tartar emetic (one to two grains) combined with powdered ipecacuanha (twenty grains), and sulphate of copper (two to five grains). When vomiting has already taken place, copious draughts of warm water or warm mucilaginous drinks should be given, to keep up the effect till the poisoning substance has been thoroughly evacuated.

PARTING ADVICE.

Be independent, but not impudent. See all you can, and make the most of your time; "time is money;" and, when you grow older, you may find it even more difficult to command time than money.

INDEX.

Accidents, boy run over, 34. how to avoid, 117.

Advice to parents, 105.

Afoot, ways to travel, 9-24.

Alcoholic stimulants, 55, 123.

Ammoniated opodeldoc for bites, 99.

Appetite, none first days, 55. on return home, 105.

A-tents, 75-79, 95. too small for ladies, 95.

Babies in camp, 94.

Baggage:-- Barrel, 32. Blanket, 16-19. Candles and lamps, 61. Clothing, 35-38. Cooking utensils, 42-46. Cover for wagon, 25. Food, 20, 47-49. Haversack, 18. Knapsack, 16. Ladies' outfits, 94. Mattress, 63. Overcoat, 19, 58. Overloading, 15, 90. Packing a wagon, 26, 32. Poles, 60, 73. Pork, how carried, 48. Shirts, 19. Stove, 39-41. Tents, 72-80. Tub, 91. Wagon, 31-33.

Baked beans, beef, and fish, 46.

Baker, Yankee, 43.

Barrel, on march for baggage, 32. sunk for cellar, 48. cut in two for tubs, 91.

Bathing, 52, 53, 64, 120.

Beans and pork, how baked, 46.

Beckets for tents, 79, 81.

Beds, 62-64.

Black flies, protection from, 98.

Blanket, woollen, 19, 22, 25, 94. instead of knapsack, 16. lining, 19. rubber, 16, 22, 75.

Board floor for tent, 60.

Boat, don't sail experimentally, 118.

Boating, general advice, 90.

Bobbinet lace mosquito-bar, 99.

Boots and brogans, 36, 37.

Brush or bush houses, 69, 96.

Bug in ear, 126.

Bumpers for wagon-springs, 31.

Butter, how to keep, 47.

Camp, 60-71. Beds, 62-64. Brush-houses, 69, 96. Candles and sluts, 62. Care of food, 47-49. Cellar, 48. Children, 94. Clothes-line, 61, 64. Cold weather, 66. Cooking, 44, 47. Etiquette, 96. Expenses, 83, 101. Fire, 46, 66-69. Flies and mosquitoes, 98. Hammock, 64. Hitching-post, 64, 96. Independence, 12, 97. Ladies, 41, 93-95. Lamp and lantern, 61. Mattress, 63. Mosquito-bar, 98. Outfit, 10-13, 20-22. Shelters, 69-71, 96. Sleeping, 55, 62. Stoves, 39-43. Tents, 72-89.

Camp-stoves, 39-43.

Candles and candlesticks, 61.

Captain for large party, 25-34.

Care of food, 47-49.

Cart, pulling a, 115.

Catching fish in nets, 101.

Cattle-paths the safest, 118.

Cellar, sunk barrel, 48.

Chafing the skin, 16, 52-54.

Cheap living, 102.

Children in camp, 94.

Chimneys, 67, 68.

Cholera morbus, 126.

Cloth for tent, 82. how to preserve, 83.

Clothes-line in tent, 61. on camp-ground, 64.

Clothing, 35-38. made early, 10. for mountain climbing, 58. at night, 19, 64.

Climbing mountains, 14, 57. with safety, 117.

Coffee better than alcohol, 55, 124. pot, 41, 45.

Cold weather, what to do in, 66. "taking cold," 118.

Collars to shirts, 35.

Compass points not known, 91.

Cooking, 44-47. utensils, 20, 42-46. stoves, 39-41.

Costiveness, 55.

Cover for wagon, 25.

Cunners, how skinned, 100. how caught in net, 101.

Daily tour of duty, 26-29.

Diary, how to keep, 107-112.

Diarrhoea, 126.

Dishes, 11. to be brought on table, 97.

Dish-cloths, 49.

Drawers, 36.

Drawing sketches advised, 109.

Drinking water, 51, 121. coffee and tea, 55, 124. oatmeal, 52. liquors, 55, 123.

Driving a wagon, 32, 34. a stake into ground, 96.

Drowning, to revive from, 126-128.

Dutch oven, 42.

Eat sparingly on return home, 105. before walking, 113.

Etiquette of camp, 96.

Exercise not good after meals, 50.

Expenses, 10, 15, 23, 26, 83. of trips to White Mts., 34. of a supposed trip, 101-105.

Farmers, how to treat, 56.

Fatigue, 54, 56, 122.

Fiddles of a tent, 82.

"Fighting cut" to hair, 11.

Fire, danger from, 68-70. kind of to cook upon, 46. for cold weather, 66, 69.

First day's march, 51, 52, 55.

Fish, how preserved, 48. how to skin, 100. how to catch in nets, 101.

Fishermen's treatment of cloth, 84.

Flies and mosquitoes, 98. short hair no protection, 12. mosquito-bars, 99.

Fly for tent, 82.

Floor for tent, 60.

Food, 20. care of, 47-49. expense of, 102.

Foot-soreness, 52-54. (_see_ shoes), 36.

Frying, 44-46.

Frying-pan, tin plate, or canteen, 44. bring it on the table, 97.

Getting ready, 9-13.

Glycerine for sunburn, &c., 53.

Guy-lines of tent, 81.

Hair, how cut, 11.

Hammock, 64.

Hand-barrow, 60.

Harness, 30, 32.

Hatchet, 20.

Haversack, how made, 18.

Hip-pantaloons, 37.

Hitching-post, 64, 96.

Horse and wagon for baggage, 25-34.

Horseback tour, 90.

Hotels to be avoided, 56, 105.

"How to do it," 113-116.

Hunger, none first day, 55. and fatigue, 122.

Hunter's camp, 69.

Hygienic notes, 117-129.

Independence in camp, 12, 97. in modes of travel, 115.

Insect in ear, 126.

Knapsack, 11, 16. the roll a substitute, 16-17.

Ladies need a stove, 41. climbing mountains, 58. as pedestrians, 93. outfits for, 94, 95. and children in camp, 94.

Lamp and lantern, 61.

Leggings for foot-travellers, 54.

Lime-water on tent-cloth, 84.

Liquors not needed, 55, 123.

Lobsters caught in net, 101.

Lost, whereabouts, and direction, 91.

Lumbermen's way to carry pork, 48.

Lumbermen's way to cook beans, 46.

Map, study before travel, 92.

Management of party, 25-29, 33, 34.

Marching, 50-59. in army, 50. first day's troubles, 51. second day's fatigue, 54. how fast, 23, 50, 102, 114. hundred miles a week, 102. "How to do it," 113, 114.

Mark name on baggage, 10.

Mattress, 63.

Medicines, 55.

Mildew, how to prevent, 83.

Mosaic law, 65.

Mosquitoes and flies, 11, 98.

Mountain climbing, 14, 57. for ladies, 58.

Mutton tallow for chafing, &c., 53.

Nails in shoes, 37.

Net, mosquito, 98. to catch fish, 101.

Note-book, 10, 110.

Oatmeal in water, 52.

Offal to be buried, 65.

Oil of cedar and pennyroyal, 99. for sunburn, chafing, &c., 53. for harness and boots, 32.

Opodeldoc for mosquito-bites, 99.

Outfit, 10-13, 19-22, 102.

Overcoat not needed, 19. needed on mountains, 58.

Overloading, 15, 90, 102.

Packing a wagon, 26, 32. away tents, 89.

Pantaloons, 37. in stockings, 54.

Parents, advice to, 105.

Perspiration, nature of, 120.

Pillow carried by officer, 21.

Poisons, treatment for, 128.

Poles for tent, 60, 73, 79, 82. how made, 86.

Politeness, 56, 97.

Pork and beans baked, 47. how carried, 48.

Postal cards as stencil-plates, 10.

Potatoes for food, 103. candlesticks, 61.

Preparations, 9.

Privies, 65.

Public resorts to be avoided, 56, 105.

Racing with locomotives, 114.

Rations, 22, 102-104.

Recipes for cooking, 46-47.

Reckoning lost, 91.

Rests frequent advised, 50, 113, 114. should not be long, 50. at halts, 50, 56. to prevent sunstroke, 121.

Roll better than knapsack, 17.

Rotten trees dangerous, 60.

Route should be known, 9, 23, 92.

Rubber blanket, 16, 22, 58. for tents, 75. boots for dew, 95.

Sail-boat, 90, 118.

Salve for sunburn, chafing, &c., 53.

Screens of bushes, 69, 96.

Second day's march fatiguing, 54.

Shaving the head not advised, 11.

Shelters, 69-71, 96.

Shelter-tent, 17, 19, 70, 72-75. how to pitch, 70, 73-75. how made, 72-74. not good for ladies, 94. illustration of, 129.

Shirts instead of overcoat, 19. how made, 35. undershirts, 38.

Shoes, 36. slippers, 120.

Sickness:-- Liability to, 14, 23, 55, 106. Remedies, 120, 121, 126. Insect in ear, 126. Cholera morbus, 126. Drowning, to restore from, 126-128. Poisons, treatment for, 128.

Sinks, 65.

Sketching advised, 109.

Skinning fish, 100.

Sleep on a hay-mow, 23. difficult first night, 54. for your comrades, 55. (_see_ beds), 62. general advice about, 63, 64.

Slippers, 120.

Sluts for light, 62.

Smudge for mosquitoes, &c., 100.

Soap for foot-soreness, &c., 53. tents, 83.

Socks, 37.

Sod-cloth of tents, 78, 81.

Soldier's weight of outfit, 15. German, 16. rule for drinking, 51. trousers in socks, 54. preventive for chafing, 54. mattress, 63. shelter-tents, 72. rations, 103.

Spade, uses of, 47, 65, 88.

Speed proper to walk, 23, 51, 102, 114.

Spirits not needed, 55.

Stake, how driven, 96.

Starvation, do not risk, 21.

Stays to tent, 84.

Stencil-plate of postal card, 11.

Stimulation, nature and effects, 123.

Stockings, best kind on march, 37. pantaloons tucked into, 54. take off when wet, 120.

Stoves, &c., 11, 39-43. portable, 39-41. inside tent when cold, 66. top, 42.

Summer-houses, screens, &c., 96.

Sunburn, 53.

Sunstroke, 121.

Suspenders, 38.

Supplies for camping enumerated, 13.

Swimming, 118.

Table manners in camp, 96.

Taking cold, 118.

Tanning tent-cloth, 84.

Tea better than alcohol, 55, 124.

Tents, 72-89. best kind to use, 19, 88. made in wagon, 25. how to make "shelter," 72. how to make "A," 75. how to make "wall," 80. how to pitch "wall," 85. cloth for, 82. cloth, how preserved, 83, 89. fly, 82.

Tent-poles, whether to carry, 20. how made, 73, 79, 86. hand-barrow, 60.

Tent-pins, 20, 87.

Thirst, 51, 52, 121.

Tobacco, when to use, 124.

Tools, 25.

Training before journey, 12, 102.

Travelling acquaintances, 97.

Travelling afoot, 12, 14-34. horseback, 90. boating, 90, 118. expenses, 15, 23, 26, 34, 102. how fast, 23, 50, 102, 114. with hand-cart, 115.

Trench for offal, 65. around tent, 84. for fireplace, 67.

Trousers, 37-38.

Tub in boat, 91.

Ventilation, 64.

Wagon, general advice, 25, 31-33. made into tent, 25. man to walk behind, 34.

Walking, 50-59. how fast, 23, 50, 102, 114. at noon, 114. parties in White Mts., 34. one hundred miles, 102. eat before, 113.

Wall-tent, how made, &c., 80. to pitch quickly, 85.

Warm, how to keep, 66-70.

Water for drinking, 51. how to carry in pails, 68. none on mountains, 58.

Weekly supply for two men, 102.

Weight of outfit, 15, 21-23.

Wet and taking cold, 120. clothes, weight, 22.

Whims of soldiers, 21.

Woodman's camp, 69.

Woollen blanket, 19, 23. shirt, 19.

Yankee baker, 43.

* * * * *

Transcriber's Note:

Punctuation normalized.

Hyphenation changed to conform to majority of text.

Capitalization corrected.

Page 13, "usuually" changed to "usually" (tooth that usually)

Page 90, "gripe" changed to "grip" (hold its grip so)

Page 121, "comparativey" changed to "comparatively" (comparatively engorged)

Page 131, "opoldeldoc" changed to "opodeldoc" to conform to rest of text (ammoniate opodeldoc)

Page 132, added word "how" to conform to rest of text (how to catch in nets)