84: BAY-SNIPE SHOOTING. 
better—tor man’s best efforts will rarely equal the 
bird’s natural powers. The yelper has a clear, bold 
ery, and the willet a fierce shriek that can be heard 
for miles ; and if listened to from a distance, it will 
be found that the bird’s call can be heard twice the 
distance of the man’s answer. It is true that when 
the snipe are near at hand and about alighting, a 
lower whistle is better, for the reason that it is more 
perfect, and because the cry changes to a note of 
welcome when the flock receives its fellows. And 
often, when the birds once head for the stools, if not 
distracted by neighboring stands, or alarmed, they 
will come straight on without any whistling, although 
this is by no means invariably the case. 
Many persons find insuperable difficulty in whis- 
tling the clear, shrill, sharp calls ; and for them arti- 
ficial whistles have been manufactured with a hole 
at the lower end, which, being opened or closed by 
the finger, like the holes in a flute, regulates the 
sound. These artificial whistles are not so good as 
a perfectly trained natural one; the sound is not 
sufficiently reed-like, and they occupy and_ confine 
one hand when it should be free to seek the gun. 
They are suspended from the button-hole by a string, 
so that they can be dropped in an instant ; but are 
only used out of necessity. 
A curious one, to be held in the mouth, has been 
invented of a wedge-shaped piece of tin in the form 
of an axe-head, with two holes through the sides. 
The sound is regulated by the tongue, and is alto- 
gether more correct than that of any other whistle; 
