58 MID-APRIL 
ming’ ; to some ears it resembles the distant 
bleating of a lamb, and gives the bird the 
name of “moor lamb’ in some places. No 
one knows exactly how it is produced, but the 
bird drops swiftly downwards towards his 
mate with the wings partly expanded, and it 
is then the noise is made. 
Snipe are much sought after by sportsmen. 
It is no little achievement to shoot one on 
the wing, especially a jack. It is because of 
this that a white feather taken from the tip 
of the wing is placed in the front of the hat- 
band, one, or sometimes the pair, to represent 
each bird that has fallen to the gun of the 
proud owner. Snipe on toast is an epicure’s 
morsel ; they are not usually drawn before 
cooking. Great numbers of full snipe and 
sometimes many jack are found close to 
London on sewage farms. I have seen as 
many as fifty in an hour’s walk in the autumn 
and winter. It 1s especially during a drought 
in early autumn that these birds congregate 
in these constantly wet spots. At dusk they 
will fly into the best bits from the surrounding 
