144 SHIKAR SKETCHES. 



grand condition, and in size between a wood-cock 

 and a snipe. 



The only other solitary snipe I ever saw was on 

 Cove Common, near Aldershot. Strolling across 

 this one December day in 1874, I rose and killed 

 five snipe out of as many shots. One was a 

 solitary snipe, two full, or common snipe, and 

 two Jack snipe. As these pages are, however, 

 only records of Indian sport, the reader must 

 kindly pardon this digression. 



The common Indian snipe is much the same as 

 any other snipe, except that I do not think he has 

 the rapid, twisty flight of his European congener. 

 Paddy or rice fields are a very favourite resort of 

 snipe, and I have even seen them amongst ' jow ^ 

 bushes, where there was no water, in considerable 

 numbers. 



With regard to the pin-tailed snipe, I shall take 

 the liberty of quoting a letter from ' Smoothbore/ 

 which appeared in the Field in 1866, and until 

 reading his letter I had no idea of this variety 

 but subsequent examination proved his statement 

 correct. 



He says, 'The common and pin-tailed snipe 

 are found in the same fields, and look the same 

 colour when killed : yet there is a great difference 



* Jow is a species of low bush cypress that grows on the banks of 

 rivers. It is also a favourite cover for wild hog. 



