Electrical Sportsman

By Joseph  Wightman

Originally three small paper birds were attached by threads to the electrode of the jar.  When the jar was charged, the static electricity made the birds seem to fly into the air.

When the sportsmen’s rifle touched the jar’s electrode, the jar discharged – the resulting spark sounding something like a small rifle shot – and the birds fell, hanging from their threads at the side of the jar. American, c. 1840s.