SNIPE AND WOODCOCK. 21 



is kicked up. There is scarcely time to load before 

 a great brown rail flies away (in a very sneaking 

 fashion) through the tops of the weeds. On the 

 ponds are to be seen plenty of ducks, widgeon {Anas 

 Americana), green- winged teal {A. Carolinensis), as 

 well as the more savoury blue-winged teal {A. 

 discoTS.) If dogs are at hand when a briar-patch is 

 reached, two or three shots at woodcock may fairly be 

 calculated on. The American bird is not so large as 

 the European by about three ounces in weight, and 

 at least four inches in the stretch of the wings — this 

 is, however, fully treated in another chapter. 



On one occasion I was riding with a friend to try 

 and jump deer. We had double shot-guns, but no 

 lead smaller than buckshot. On our return home we 

 crossed a portion of a swampy ' weed prairie, ' where 

 the snipes {Scolopax Wilsonii) were walking about 

 in the mud, almost too tame to move away from our 

 horses' feet. I longed for a lighter gun and smaller 

 shot ; but that, unfortunately, was ten miles away. 

 I feel confident that there were at least a thousand 

 snipe scattered about that part of the marsh which 

 we crossed. 



The sand prairies are found far away to the ex- 

 treme west, by the spurs of the Eocky Mountains. 

 The only vegetation upon them consists of a few 

 stunted bushes of wild sage; the only game a species 

 of grouse called the sage-hen, and a few rabbits. Their 



