THE FIELD. SNIPE-SHOOTING. 269 



creeks or impenetrable morasses, and sometimes he will 

 lay down a winged bird, which will instantly run off again 

 and give double trouble. 



19th. Never break a sporting rule, in order to recover 

 a wounded bird or get a shot at a live one. 



20th. Never lose your temper ! 



If you can keep the last of these rules, you can 

 without doubt keep them all ; and if you do so, though 

 it will be painful and difficult at first, it will gradually 

 become habit and grow into a second nature ; and when 

 this degree of excellence is acquired, you will have really 

 become a steady and good sportsman, so far as the field- 

 work of dogs, and may even undertake at a pinch to break 

 a brace for yourself. 



And here, before proceeding in its turn to the sport 

 of the next season, though I might, perhaps, have better men- 

 tioned it above, I will state, as the most befitting place, 

 that during spring snipe-shooting, the Virginia rail Ballus 



