Snipe, 23 



Of these the Red-Breasted Snipe, a North 

 American bird, is of such extreme rarity that 

 for the purposes of this book it may be 

 altogether ignored, more especially as its 

 habits are rather those of the gregarious 

 shore-waders than of the solitary and more 

 sporting denizens of the marshes. Another 

 species, the Great Snipe, might also be almost 

 disregarded in a book intended for the use 

 of snipe - shooters rather than for snipe- 

 students, for, though a regular visitor to 

 these shores, it will seldom if ever be seen 

 by the winter sportsman. However, since 

 he is the head and the largest of the old 

 and exclusive British family to which he 

 belongs, this little Debrett of the Snipes 

 would be very incomplete without some 

 description of the Great Snipe. Moreover, 

 it is quite possible that he will be met 

 with on his short autumnal visit to these 

 Islands at least once or twice in a shooting 

 lifetime ; met with, indeed, very possibly 

 more often than recognised by grouse and 

 partridge shooters, whose eyes, all alert 



