66 THE STORY OF A BIRD LOVER 



The bird which they call the jack-snipe in this 

 part of the United States — really the Wilson 

 snipe — was on its spring migration from its 

 winter home to its northern breeding grounds 

 during April ; and I must record the incredible 

 abundance of these birds. They were to be found 

 on the damp prairies in the short grass, and a dog 

 was not essential in hunting. Having arrived at 

 such a locality (and there were thousands of acres 

 of this kind of land close to the tow^n), the sports- 

 man walking through the grass disturbed at every 

 few yards, not single snipe, as one does in the 

 East after much tramping and labor with a dog, 

 but " wisps " of six or seven individuals, that would 

 go darting off, zigzaging away, so that it was 

 exceptional not to get a double shot. Single 

 gunners at this time in the vicinity of Warrens- 

 burg frequently bagged from seventy-five to one 

 hundred and twenty snipe in a day's shooting. It 

 was only a matter of powder and shot, a good eye, 

 and tramping. 



Most of the birds that one finds represented in 

 the Carolinian fauna of eastern North America 

 were present at Warrensburg. The mocking- 

 bird, however, was not very plentiful, and was at 

 this point a migrant. The tufted titmouse and 

 the blue-gray gnatcatcher were noticeable, as was 

 the Carolina wren, though the latter was not com- 

 mon. Along the streams the prothonotary warbler 



