126 ON THE WING. 



over night. While, again, there may be others appar- 

 ently inferior which may be favorite feeding-places, 

 and where game may always be found, if found at all. 



Usually the sportsman who follows this game has 

 some choice places that are not generally known, and, 

 visiting them at the proper times, he will not unfre- 

 quently be paid for his labor. But, at the best, it is 

 uncertain sport ; and the seasons will often come and 

 go, when these birds will be so scarce, that the sports- 

 man will not take the trouble to hunt over his own 

 grounds. 



If the young sportsman knows of good snipe shoot- 

 ing-ground, and wants to know if they are about, with- 

 out the trouble of hunting his grounds over, his best 

 way is to watch the market, if living near one, as snipe, 

 if plenty, will pretty surely find their way there. 



I add an interesting story related of a tame snipe : — 



" A gentleman of Chatham, N. J., while snipe-shoot- 

 ing on the excellent meadows there, last September, 

 shot a snipe, or at least knocked it down. After all 

 was ready, he told the dog to " go find dead bird," 

 which the dog did in excellent style, and retrieved it 

 without hurting it in the least. In taking it from the 

 dog's mouth it was seen to be uninjured, except a 

 slight scratch on the head, which had evidently only 

 stunned it, for as soon as it was taken out of the dog's 

 mouth it was lively enough to have flown away again if 

 it could only have got at liberty. The gentleman took 

 the bird, put grass all around it, and, taking the napkin 

 off his lunch, wrapped the bird up in it very carefully, 

 so that it could not get hurt in his pocket. He con- 



