A GOOD DAY'S SPORT. 243 



In our opinion, there is no kind of field-sport in which 

 the breech-loader so plainly shows its superiority over the 

 .old muzzle-gun as in snipe - shooting. The rapidity with 

 which they can both be loaded and cleaned, dispensing 

 with the ramrod, which is always difficult to handle in cold 

 weather, being able to load without placing the butt on the 

 ground or in the mud, and the non-necessity of using caps, 

 are advantages in all sporting, but in none more decided 

 than in snipe-shooting. 



As an estimate of what may be considered a good day's 

 sport in the spring of the year on these grounds, we will 

 recur to our own experiences, and state them. An acquaint- 

 ance, who was a good shot, killed, to my certain knowledge, 

 nine dozen snipe in seven hours, and I myself have frequent- 

 ly killed from seven to eight dozen in the same time. The 

 first day's shooting of my last season, over indifferent ground, 

 and very difficult to walk upon from its inequality of sur- 

 face, in five hours I, to my own gun, bagged four dozen, 

 and but that the birds were extremely wild would possibly 

 have knocked over fifty per cent. more. 



Where we should advise the sportsman to commence 

 snipe-shooting in spring would be at Vincenues, on the 

 Ohio and Mississippi Railroad. From here you can have 

 sport in every direction ; and when you feel desirous of 

 change of scene, the prairies, which begin here, and con- 

 tinue north almost uninterruptedly to the great lakes, will 

 be found abundantly stocked from the date of the arrival 

 of the first flight of the migratory hordes. Of one thing 

 we should like to caution the novice, viz., the using of too 

 large shot. No. 9 will be found the best. A snipe requires 

 but little hitting to bring him down ; and then his body is. 

 so small, that at the distance of forty yards, although your 

 aim may be correct, if you shoot large shot, it is far from 

 improbable that the game may fly through it. 



