144 FEATHERED GAWK 



angel turn a deaf ear to the all-too-energetic ex- 

 pressions of the sportsman, who is gazing earn- 

 estly into space before him with disgust in every 

 lineament and blistering eloquence hurrying 

 from his tongue ! Two empty cartridge cases 

 idly smoking in the mire represent another 

 waste of ammunition, and still the would-be 

 slayer stares, unable to believe the evidence of 

 his eyes. Yet the reason for his failure is not 

 far to seek — our friend, as someone has beauti- 

 fully said, has ''shot zig just as the Snipe 

 turned zag. " 



There is no fear that the sportsman of the 

 east will deserve opprobrium because of too 

 much snipe-slaughter. That is hardly possible 

 under our game conditions. Here are no such 

 chances as the spring flights afford our west- 

 ern brothers. Somehow Snipe are rare in that 

 season, and even in the fall months a dozen 

 Snipe to a gun in a day is a good killing in most 

 New England marshes. Still, with the ''yel- 

 lowlegs" and ''grassbirds" and on occasion 

 the stray teal and black duck, our gunners 

 will make a satisfactory bagful. To many the 

 uncertainty as to what the charge may be 

 unloosed at next lends an added charm to 



