72 ONTARIO. 



weeds and scrub near the edges of the woods and lie very 

 close. I never saw quail east of Toronto, but to the west 

 and north-west of that city they are pretty plentiful in 

 some districts. 



Woodcock are found all over Canada West wherever 

 the covers are suitable. In the neighbourhood of Sarnia 

 cock shooting is very good, but as in the States they 

 are shot too early in the season. In September and 

 October they are full-grown and strong on the wing ; the 

 weather is cool, and the leaves are off the bushes, and a 

 bag of six or eight couple of birds is very nice sport 

 indeed for one gun. 



The American snipe (Scolopax Wilsonii) is so like 

 our English bird that it requires a very close observer 

 to detect any difference. The former has, I believe, 

 sixteen tail feathers, while the latter has only fourteen. 

 In colour the American snipe is slightly darker than 

 the English snipe, and it is an easier bird to shoot, 

 as it not only lies closer but also flies straighter and 

 slower. I must say that these comparisons between the 

 two birds are drawn at the time when the American 

 snipe is seen in Canada, as I have never shot it in 

 the United States. Snipe leave Canada West early 

 in November, but I have picked up an odd bird both 

 there and in Prince Edward Island as late as Christmas. 

 I have seen it stated that the American snipe is 

 smaller than our snipe, but perhaps the statement is 

 made by persons who have only shot the American snipe 

 in the months of September and October, at which time, 

 of course, it ought only to be compared to the English 

 snipe at the same seasons of the year. At the end of the 



