2OO SNIPE SHOOTING. 



hundreds after him. They often flock under 

 these circumstances, and may be seen wheel- 

 ing in the air at an immense length. They 

 seldom pitch in the same place the same day 

 if once disturbed, but are pretty sure to return 

 to it during the night. In frost, the snipe 

 seek the unfrozen springs and the banks of the 

 brooks. December is usually the best month 

 for snipe shooting. If the winter be severe, 

 the birds are soon reduced to osteological 

 specimens, and are scarce worth bagging. 

 Late in the year (in February and March), they 

 will be found near the coast, and frequenting 

 wet turnip fields and grass lands. The jack- 

 snipe is a cunning little creature, and will lie 

 at your very feet and escape notice, unless you 

 are accompanied by a dog. 



The snipe sometimes forsakes the bogs and 

 moors for the comparatively dry heather and 

 ferns of the hills, but you will invariably find 

 traces of moisture in their haunts. When in 

 the heather, the snipe is more cautious and 

 alert than in the low lands. This, however, 

 to a considerable extent depends on the weather. 



Never allow yourself to be hurried or flus- 



