CAMBRIDGE FEXS. 159 



shooting in South Wales). The mother takes care of 

 them until the bill is sufficiently long and firm to en- 

 able them to procure their food. The full snipe weighs 

 about foiu" ounces. There may be seen in the Leverian 

 Museum several snipes with a variety of plumage. 



The snipes sometimes arrive in considerable flights 

 in this country from the north as early as September, 

 but it has been remarked that at this time they do not 

 lie so well as later in the season. Those that come 

 over in October disperse soon into the interior of the 

 country, where they are found generally, if the weather 

 is favourable, to lie close and afford good sport, for 

 these birds, like partridges and grouse, as regards their 

 lying well, are much influenced by the weather, and I 

 have found them very wild when a strong north-east 

 wind has been blo^ving, and quite the reverse on a soft 

 muggy day with a southerly wind. When a severe frost 

 sets in, the snipes disappear and retire south to milder 

 climates. 



In Ireland the frost was so severe during the winter 

 of 1855, that vast numbers of snipes perished from the 

 ground becoming so hard as to prevent their procuring 

 their food; in consequence, probably, of this circum- 

 stance snipes were extremely scarce in Ireland during 

 the following winter. 



Seventy or eighty years ago snipes were most abun- 

 dant in the Cambridge fens — those brought to the Cam- 

 bridge market, which at that time were all shot birds, 

 sold from three to five pence each. In 1775, Mr. 

 Daniel shot, in three mornings, thirty-three couples of 

 snipes. lie further states, that having known that his 

 father's labourers caught them by drawing with a net in 

 the night time, he mentioned to a person near ^Milton 



