1 66 A Book of the Snipe. 



The vagaries of snipe are not, however, 

 always so inexpHcable as this. They are, in 

 fact, chiefly due to the weather, in so far 

 as it affects their feeding. As before stated, 

 they prefer to dine at night, and, given a bill 

 of fare, require, like human diners, two more 

 things for comfort — light and quiet. If either 

 or both of these are wanting, they will make 

 but an unsatisfactory meal, perhaps will not 

 feed at all, in which case, unlike their cousin 

 the Woodcock, they will then devote the 

 following day to making up overdue supplies. 

 This is the great law governing their move- 

 ments from the shooter's point of view. 

 Snipe cannot see in the dark : the brighter 

 the night the greater their success in finding 

 the spots where worms abound. 



There is a great deal of nonsense talked 

 about the influence of the moon on wild birds. 

 Some people seem to imagine that it exercises 

 a sort of occult influence on their spirits, as it 

 was once supposed to do on those of human 

 beings. You may often hear, too, especially 

 from keepers and other unlearned folk, whose 



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