AMERICAN SNIPE 35 
ago I called attention to a parallel name in Connecticut 
and elsewhere in New England: “As the bird arrives 
about the same time as the shad and is found on the 
meadows along the rivers where the nets are hauled, 
the fishermen, when drawing their nets at night, often 
start it from its moist resting places, and hear its sharp 
cry as it flies away through the darkness. They do 
not know the cause of the sound, and from the asso- 
ciation they have dubbed its author the shad spirit.” 
In the same way, Krider, in his sporting anecdotes, 
speaks of the snipe as called shad-birds by many of 
the fishermen along the Delaware. 
Until the time of Wilson, the American snipe was 
regarded as identical with the English snipe, and it is, 
of course, from this similarity of appearance that one 
of its common names is derived. 
Until within a comparatively short time, the snipe, 
like many of our wild fowl, has been almost without 
protection. To be sure, in the Northern States it was 
not practicable to kill it in winter, but whenever to be 
found it was fair game for the gunners of all the North- 
ern States. On the other hand, it has always been 
famous for the twisting flight, which renders it very 
difficult for inexperienced gunners to kill; yet at 
times, when the birds are fat, tame and unsuspicious, 
this difficulty is greatly reduced, and great numbers 
may be killed. 
The coloring of the snipe is markedly protective in 
character. White below, barred on sides with black, 
with a breast more or less streaked, and upper parts 
