54 WING-SHOOTING. 



birds often wild. But snipe are not always easily brought 

 down when hit, unless hard hit, and in order to ensure 

 first-rate success it is necessary to use a close-shooting 

 gun. When they first arrive they are thin and wild, when 

 the shooting is often difiicult, but a short time after their 

 arrival, when the days become warm, they get fat, lie hard, 

 rise slow, and afford easier shots than any other game bird 

 of my acquaintance. 



It is often asserted that snipe are missed by shooting 

 too quickly, which is true enough in its way v^^hen ac- 

 companied by too much of a hurry. 



When working over snipe grounds, the better way is to 

 work down wind, as snipe usually fly up wind, but one 

 cannot always do as he w^ould like ; and it often happens 

 that the wind prevents one doing as he should. So with 

 beating for snipe ; but, as a rule, it is a good plan to beat 

 down the wind, for the simple reason that snipe generally 

 fly up wind, and so pass on the one side or the other of 

 the gun. But with a fast and well-trained dog it is almost 

 impossible to work him down" wind, because when sent 

 out, he will make a dash up to a hundred yards or so, and 

 then work in a half circle, 8.nd make towards the gun, 

 that being the most successful plan of tactics that could 

 be pursued to beat the ground to advantage. 



