WILSONS SNIPE. 123 



ments, and are so much governed by the state of the 

 atmosphere, that they are discouraging game even 

 for the most experienced sportsman. The uncertainty 

 of finding them, and the certainty of finding plen- 

 ty of mud and water, — the prospect of going home 

 shivering with cold, with your dog in the same condi- 

 tion, and an empty bag to boot, — makes this kind of 

 sport hardly endurable, except under rarely favorable 

 circumstances. This unpleasantness is the rock upon 

 which so many snipe-shooters have split. 



On rising, snipe almost always hang for a couple 

 of seconds before starting on their irregular course. 

 Many writers and sportsmen claim that this is the nick 

 of time for dropping them. But on this point there are 

 many conflicting opinions. Some declare that they fly 

 immediately after being flushed, and that the sports- 

 man must wait until the zigzag course is over ; while 

 others assure us that if we were to do so, we should 

 seldom or never have a shot. From my own experi- 

 ence, and from the testimony of others who have 

 made snipe-shooting a specialty, I am inclined to be- 

 lieve that these birds do not conform in their flight 

 to any rules, and that they indulge in all the eccen- 

 tricities which are commonly charged to them. But 

 whatever the changes in their manner of flying may 

 be, the sportsman will soon learn their tricks, and 

 be able to drop them at the proper time. 



In shooting snipe, the gun should be put well ahead 

 on the cross shots, or the shot will go behind. The 

 quick and eccentric manner the snipe has of doubling 

 over as he takes the ground is remarkable and amus- 



