Wilson's snipe. 193 



and the points succeed each other so fast, that they are unwil- 

 ling thereafter to put themselves to any great deal of trouble 

 to find other game, which will generally prove much more diffi- 

 cult to be got at. If you must, however, take a canine friend 

 along with you — and there are, we know, some Shooters who 

 cannot stir on an occasion of any kind without two or more of 

 these favorites — please recollect that one, at all events, is quite 

 sufficient. We have seldom found Dogs of much account in 

 Snipe-shooting — perhaps because we never had a particularly 

 good one for this sport — except a first-chop Retriever; and he 

 can make himself very useful, provided he be intelligent and 

 well broke to cross the ditches and bring his Bird without 

 coaxing or scolding. 



As Snipes invariably fly against the wind, it is a good plan 

 to go around the Dog when on a point, and, by thus facing him, 

 we may get a much better shot when the Bird rises. It is 

 hardly necessary for us to add you should look out for your 

 Dog, otherwise you may shoot him; however, such accidents 

 have occurred, and may happen again. 



To prove more forcibly this assertion in reference to the 

 danger to be apprehended from shooting our Dogs in the field, 

 it may not be amiss to mention that we have just this moment 

 received the sad intelligence of the accidental death of a favorite 

 Pointer Dog we presented as a mark of regard to a sporting 

 friend, whom we know to be scrupulously particular in the 

 handling of his gun, but nevertheless not too particular in this 

 one instance to bring upon himself the reproach of having, I 

 m.ay say, carelessly taken the life of a good and faithful animal. 

 In his letter to us, commenting upon the melancholy affair, this 

 gentleman very feelingly remarks: "Birds were very plenty, 

 but after the sad accident, I felt no disposition to shoot, and 

 consequently killed but two, missed one, and retired quite dis- 

 pirited from the field, as well as mortified and distressed at this 

 my first and only mishap with a gun." 



If, therefore, this old and very particular Sportsman could 

 accidentally shoot this Dog^ — for it was an accident, and, we may 

 say, without any intention of being censorious, a careless acci- 

 dent ; at all events an accident that should not have occurred — 

 how much more does it behoove all young Sportsmen to look 

 13 



