76 A Book of the Snipe. 



quite motionless as far as lateral or forward 

 movement is concerned. 



It seems almost impertinent to describe the 

 infinitesimal check that a springing snipe must 

 sustain before he can dart away by the word 

 motionless. Nevertheless it is a physical or 

 ballistic fact, and one to which five out of 

 six of the snipe in your bag will owe their 

 doom. Many men are absolutely unable to 

 perceive this check at all. It is, in fact, 

 almost imperceptible, except on rough windy 

 days, when it will often be exaggerated into 

 an obvious ** hover," unless, as occasionally 

 happens with close-lying snipe in a gale of 

 wind, the bird is blown and tumbled bodily 

 down-wind, with never an attempt at a struggle 

 against it. This is the first and greatest 

 advantage of walking down-wind. 



Secondly, the breast of a snipe being snowy 

 white, whilst its back is in almost perfect 

 harmony with the dark yellows and reds of 

 the ground from which it usually springs, it 

 is an immense gain if you can force the bird 

 to rise with its breast towards yourself A 



