94 WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 
your eyes to-day, I ain mistaken. But here we are at 
the marsh. Jump out, put about forty shells in your 
pocket, and after unhitching the horse, so he can’t 
break anything, we will be off.” 
This is a beautiful day. Just my idea of the kind 
for good snipe shooting. The sun beats down warm; 
the wind is blowing fresh and strong from the south, 
and we ought to get splendid sport. Look at Don! 
How he eyes us with keen intelligence, as if he would 
read our inmost thoughts.” 
Ned glanced carelessly at the dog, and replied— 
* Do you know, Will, what my idea of a good snipe 
day was? A day cold and raw ; withclouds flying, and 
the winds blowing a gale from the north or north-west. 
I thought that on such a day, they would dislike to fly, 
and would lie so close that one could almost kick them 
out. Now, you have upset my theory, and as I told 
you, I am a tender-foot in snipe shooting, please explain 
where I am wrong.” 
“ Well, one might say the actions of snipe seem 
controlled entirely by the weather. On cold, raw days 
they are uneasy, and wary of approach; the whistling 
wind and the flying clouds breed in them a spirit of 
restlessness identical with the day ; instead of nestling 
quietly behind some sheltering hummock of grass, pro- 
tected from the wind, they hie themselves to the sparse- 
ly growing grass on the borders of the marsh, and are 
constantly on the alert. It seems impossible to ap- 
proach them. They will rise from forty to seventy-five 
yards from the hunter, and dart off with the greatest 
rapidity. They will not fly far,—perhaps one hundred 
yards ; but should one try to get near enough for a 
shot, the same performance is gone through with, and 
—— 
