100 



WILD FOWL SHOOTING. 



with the wind. Now, if one hunts with a dog, expect- 

 ing him to point and do justice to himself, the dog can- 

 not do it, because going with the wind his power of 

 scent is reduced to such an extent that the poor fellow 

 is handicapped, and by the time he gets near enough to 

 the snipe to wind it, the snipe sees and hears him, the 

 bird is flushed ; the hunter scolds the dog, he cannot 

 do himself credit, soon realizes it, and is discouraged. 

 On the other hand, I know where to look for them. 

 Don at my heels is ever on the alert ; he sees the snipe 

 when it gets up ; when it falls he knows I expect him 

 to mark the bird ; and should I have half a dozen down 

 at one time, to bring them to me. I also mark the spots 

 where they fall as near as I can, and should the dog 

 neglect to retrieve any, as near as possible I send him to 

 the spot. By his keen scent and systematic ranging he 

 soon finds the bird." 



" Right here, Ned, if you ever hunt jack-snipe with- 

 out a retriever, when a bird falls, mark the spot, and 

 don't you take your eyes off it, either. If you do, your 

 game bag will contain one snipe less than it ought to. 

 It is the hardest thing in the world to find, a dead 

 snipe, after you have once lost sight of the place where 

 it fell. If it falls on its back, then there is no trouble, 

 since its white breast makes it a conspicuous object; 

 but let it fall breast down, with wings a little out- 

 stretched, it is exactly the color of mud and grass, and 

 as a fact, it would be as hard for you to find that bird 

 as it would be for your wife to find you home on lodge 

 night before half-past eleven. 



" I promised that you should find out what kind of a 

 dog Don is. You see that spot to your right about 

 twenty j r ards ? That's a likely place for snipe. We 



