The Snipes. 479 



that any considerable number of these 

 birds will be shot in the course of one 

 day's shooting. In Upper Burma, where 

 the Jack is fairly common, six may occa- 

 sionally be bagged in one day. 



This Snipe is fond of quiet spots and 

 corners, where some concealment is 

 afforded by bushes and grass. Although, 

 like other Snipes, this bird habitually feeds 

 at night, it also feeds a good deal in the 

 morning and evening. Its bill is very 

 sensitive, and no doubt its chief food is 

 worms, and consequently it is found on 

 ground which is moist and soft. It lies 

 very close and frequently refuses to rise. 

 Its flight is feebler than that of the 

 Common Snipe, but it is of the same 

 zigzag nature. It flies no great distance 

 as a rule, and is in the habit of dropping 

 suddenly. After alighting, it squats, and 

 is very easy to mark down. It seldom 

 utters a note. 



I shall now quote Mr. Booth, who, in 

 his " Rough Notes " has some interesting 

 remarks on the Jack- Snipe. He says : 

 " During the long protracted and bitter 

 frost of that terrible winter [1855], I was 

 handed over to a keeper in my father's 

 service to be initiated into the art of 

 shooting Jack-Snipes ' broken in,' as the 



