62 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



treacherous nature of the ground, the never knowing 

 "■ what might get up next," and the satisfaction of 

 making quick double shots, enhancing the sport to 

 a great extent. Many very good shots are entii'ely 

 thrown out by finding an unwonted number of 

 Snipes, and lose for a time their customary steadiness, 

 and indeed with four or five birds rising with their 

 sharp note of alarm at every few steps, it is very 

 puzzling to keep the eye on the right bird, and not 

 to shoot in too great a hurry, with a view to getting 

 in a second barrel. A Snipe rising at twenty yards 

 to the windward of the shooter presents a sufficiently 

 difficult shot, whilst if approached with the wind on 

 the shooter's back, or (to my thinking) still better on 

 the left shoulder, the bird gives an easy shot at 

 double that distance. There are, however, many days 

 when it is difficult to approach within reasonable 

 shooting-distance, the birds rising out of reach in 

 "wisps," and going quite out of sight. In such 

 cases, if the favourite spot is of no great extent, I 

 have sometimes found it a successful plan to hide 

 myself as near as possible, keeping a vigilant look 

 out, as very often the Snipes will come dropping in 

 again, either singly or in small numbers, and in such 

 instances generally lie pretty close. Of course this 

 ■waiting can only be of avail where there is no other 

 favourite haunt of Snipes within a short distance, 

 but when Snipes have found abundant food in any 

 given spot for one or two nights they are certain to 

 return to it sooner or later. In cases where the 

 extent of good Snipe-ground is large, and the birds 

 wild from wet or other causes, very good shooting 

 may sometimes be obtained by " lying-up " in the 

 best concealment that the locality affords, and having 



