152 A Book of the Snipe, 



week, held not a single bird by day or night, 

 through which indeed we scarcely took the 

 trouble of sending the dog whilst on our 

 way to more promising spots, is one fine 

 morning found crowded with snipe, sheltering 

 behind tussocks of grass or reed, which never 

 seemed of any use in this way before. 

 Nothing can be gathered from your diary 

 as to the cause of this influx. The same 

 wind has prevailed before ; it is unlikely 

 that worms have suddenly appeared in mud 

 which hitherto, judging by the best of all 

 signs, the absence of feeding snipe, has been 

 innocent of them. 



Up to the end of November these sudden 

 and transitory visitants (for they take but a 

 few hours' lease) may of course be a further 

 batch of foreign recruits to the stock of 



o 



home-bred birds which have been about all 

 the summer. But the constant recurrence 

 of the phenomenon, after the supply from 

 northern lands has ceased, renders it im- 

 possible that these welcome additions can 

 be, as they are invariably considered to be, 



