Soi7te Haunts of the Snipe. 6i 



of our district. It is, in fact, a shaking 

 rotten bog, and we shall probably take as 

 good a census of its inhabitants from here 

 as from anywhere else. If you stand here, 

 keeping your eyes about the centre of the 

 bog, I will jump the stream as heavily as 

 I can, and you can note the result. No 

 sooner said than done. What a storm of 

 "ptchakes" greet the thump of my landing! 

 More birds seem to leap up than the bog 

 has inches. Off they go in a dozen wisps 

 in all directions. There are enough snipe 

 in the air to fill a waggon, but it is of no 

 use gnashing your teeth at them. Most of 

 them are already out of sight ; but that big 

 wisp of about forty birds doesn't seem bound 

 on a very long journey. It is worth our 

 while to keep our eyes on them for a bit. 

 See ! one has dropped like a bullet, and 

 another, now two more. With any luck we 

 shall meet them again, for they have taken 

 shelter in the nearly dry bed of what was 

 once a considerable stream. Let us be off 

 then at once, and leave this delusive bog. 



