52 A Book of the Snipe. 



hundreds on the very tract before us? It 

 will be hard if birds are not to be found on 

 some at least of the half-dozen different types 

 of ground it includes. It would take a week 

 to beat the place systematically, so we decide 

 to walk straight through, keeping the river 

 about half a mile on our left, intending to 

 return along the lower slopes of the hills on 

 our right. 



Our walk towards the river is over an 

 undulating expanse of short dead heather, 

 with here and there a patch of young gorse, 

 low but very dense. On certain days this 

 would be a likely find for snipe ; and in 

 September, if that prize the Solitary Snipe 

 were about, this would be the place to look 

 for him. Wounded birds, too, are very apt 

 to pitch amongst the gorse, from whence it 

 takes a hard - bitten dog to retrieve them. 

 To - day, however, we do not put up any 

 snipe here, so pursue our way. 



The going is getting perceptibly worse, 

 and by the time we have reached our allotted 

 distance from the river and turn our faces 



