128 SNIPE. 



two, but the bird flew some distance and alighted. That was the 

 beginning of my troubles. Continuing, I put up the snipe again, but 

 this time it flew slowly and I got rattled (as the Americans say) and 

 foolishly determined to get the bird at all costs, with the result that I 

 ran right into a whisp of six snipe, and made a double miss. Jusit as 

 I slipped two more cartridges home up got my wounded bird, and to my 

 chagrin, I missed again. That was the last I saw of it, but a minute 

 or so later I bagged my second bird. 



Meanwhile my companions had been popping away merrily, and 

 had four birds between them to show for it. Then for about an hour 

 the snipe seemed to have disappeared, but at last in the course of 

 a long trarnp through the mud, I ran across some paddy fields out of 

 which the snipe popped one after another. I dropped two, and then 

 began missing again. The birds seemed to be more exasperatingly 

 active than usual. They either rose just out of range or right under my 

 feet. .Some rose straight up into the air, and others skimmed low 

 over the standing rice stalks, or zigzagged away to the right or left. 

 Finding that I could do nothing with them I decided to head for the 

 boat, and get a rest and some lunch. 



My companions had evidently come to the same decision for they 

 joined me not far from the bank of the canal. A comparison of bags 

 showed that Sin led with five snipe and four pratincoles (peculiar 

 swallow-like birds related to the plovers, and very good eating). My 

 bag contained four snipe and our friend's two snipe and a whimbrel. 

 It was a pretty poor show considering the number of birds about. 



Crossing the canal and tying up under the shelter of some reeds, 

 we did ample justice to the delicacies spread before us. 



After lunch we lay around and smoked for a couple of hours. 

 Sin, who can never resist the chance of a swim, went into the canal, 

 much to the delight of the small boys. The day was perfect. Even 

 as we thus enjoyed our noontide rest, we were surrounded by a 

 hundred forms of aquatic and aerial life. Over head the pratincoles 

 coursed like enormous swallows, rising, sinking and circling in their 

 abundant vitality. Ever and anon a flight, of grey plovers would pass, 

 flapping lazily, with long plaintive calls. More rarely a whisp of snipe 

 would come drumming down out of the invisible, and go skimming low 

 over the reeds and rushes, alighting abruptly where it pleased them. 

 A hoarse croak would announce the passage of a clumsy heron seeking 

 some new feeding ground, or the sharp call of the coot and the peep of 

 the baby grebes from the reeds, would tell us that there, too, was busy 

 active life. In the canal widening circles on the water's surface would 

 tell where some fish had risen, and watching, we might see carp and 



