48 VARIETIES OF SHOOTING. 



will generally produce a pretty good second crop of single 

 birds, with an occasional covey. 



The retrieving of partridges is conducted exactly in the 

 same way as that of grouse, which is alluded to at page 30. 



SNIPE SHOOTING. 



In this species of sport, in addition to the various kinds of 

 snipe, several other birds frequenting the fens are met with, 

 especially in Ireland and on the Continent, where snipe 

 shooting is to be found very superior to that of England. 

 But among snipe alone the sportsman will often be puzzled 

 to determine what is the particular variety which his gun 

 has succeeded in bringing down, the common snipe and jack 

 snipe being often mistaken for each other For the con- 

 venience of the sportsmen, therefore, a short description of 

 each will be given, the specific characters being on the 

 authority of Yarrell. 



VARIETIES OP SNIPE. 



The GREAT or SOLITARY SNIPE (Gallinago major), also 

 called the DOUBLE SNIPE, is not uncommon in the fens on 

 our eastern coast, but is almost unknown in Ireland, 

 and on the west of Scotland. When on the wing it can 

 scarcely be distinguished from the common snipe in point of 

 size, but its fan-like tail shows its nature to the experienced 

 eye. These birds are generally met with in the early part 

 of autumn in pairs. They breed in considerable numbers in 

 Norway and Sweden, placing their nest in a tussock of 

 grass, near any bushes on the borders of a marsh. The eggs 

 are four in number, of a yellow olive brown, length one 

 inch and three quarters, breadth one inch two lines. The 

 bird itself is described as follows : Beak dark brown at the 

 end, pale yellow brown at the base ; iris dark brown j a dark 

 brown streak extends from the beak to the eye ; above this, 

 and passing over the eye and ear coverts, is a streak of pale 

 brown; top of the head a rich dark brown, with a pale 

 brown stripe down the middle ; neck pale brown, the centre 

 of each feather having a darker spot ; upper parts brownish 



