You know those messages that often appear at the end of a film or are announced as the titles roll on a gory television programme stating “no animals were hurt during the making of this film”?
Well, we would immediately like to point out that no pigeons were injured in the taking of this photograph.
This scene is from April 1965 when there was not much sympathy for the “flying rats” – sorry pigeons – that continually hovered around Glasgow’s George Square.
They had been trapped by John Cameron, who was showing off his new netting machine. He had spread out grain to attract the birds and then, when they were in the middle of a good feed, he spread the net – which was thrown by three elastic-powered guns – trapping about 30 pigeons.
It was the first time the device had been used in Glasgow. As for these birds, there was a lucky escape. They were taken to a country site and kept there long enough to make them forget about returning to the city.
Unfortunately, a great many of their descendants are still in the Square ...
Rushing out at lunchtime to buy a few items?
If you were in Bothwell Street, in Glasgow city centre, in May 1970 then you could also have found out the latest car prices at this Arnold Clark showroom.
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