236 PRAIRIE AND FOREST. 



novice ; viz., the using of too large shot. No. 9 will be 

 found the best. A snipe requires but little hitting to 

 bring him down, and then his body is so small, that at 

 the distance of forty yards, although your aim may be 

 correct, if you shoot large shot, it is far from impro- 

 bable that the game may fly through it. 



If your frame be cast in that iron mould which 

 nature has bestowed on some, and you are consequently 

 capable of bearing, without inconvenience, fatigue and 

 exposure, and are, at the same time, desirous of making 

 as heavy a bag as possible, while shooting over your 

 snipe beat, pay particular attention to the water- 

 courses and sloughs ; and when you become satisfied 

 that you have found a spot where the ducks are in the 

 habit of spending their evenings, which may be ascer- 

 tained by the down-trodden weeds and muddy appear- 

 ance of the water, mark the place, for when it becomes 

 too late to continue peppering the snipe, you can 

 return and lie in ambush for the web-footed gentry. 

 Duck, from flying high when on the move, can be 

 seen much later than small game, more particularly 

 if, watching for them, you can frequently get them 

 against some clear spot in the sky. Frequently, I 

 have killed in thirty minutes half-a-dozen of that 

 prince of birds and epicurean dainties, the mallard, 

 in this manner, when it was so dark that, after they 

 had dropped, but for the sagacity of my retriever 

 I was scarcely aware whether I had correctly aimed. 

 If the evening should be dark and gloomy, with indi- 

 cations of change to cold weather, and a high wind 

 blowing, it will be unnecessary to wait as late as 

 sunset before visiting the feeding ground of the duck ; 

 for, under such circumstances, they come in fearlessly 



