THE FIELD. SNIPE-SHOOTING. 265 



ing weary, losing them for a second, and never being again 

 able to recover them. 



Few niceties of sportsmanship are less understood, yet 

 on few does more depend, than on this art of marking. I 

 never, in my life, either in this or any other country, saw 

 an untrained person or a countryman, who was not himself 

 a game shot, who had a conception of marking birds 

 down ; yet I never saw one who was not confident that he 

 could always do so to a yard. 



Every bird has its particular method of alighting, 

 which will be noticed under each head, and the motion 

 which it makes, in order to accomplish this, is so clear, 

 that it cannot by any accident be mistaken by a practised 

 eye. This motion once seen, the marker may be certain 

 that the bird has not merely flown out of sight but has 

 really gone down, and he has only to note the spot, to 

 which this motion has brought the bird. 



In the case of the snipe, the peculiarity of action can- 

 not be mistaken. High or low, leisurely or swiftly, as he 

 may be flying, as if he suddenly caught sight of a spot 

 which suited his fancy, and made up his mind on the 

 instant, he makes a short pitch from the direction of his 

 previous flight, with his bill pointing earthward, half closes 

 his wings, and darts to the place he has selected as swiftly 

 and as straight as thought. 



In regard to hunting your dogs observe, these rules : 



1st. Never do that yourself for which you would 



punish, or from which you wish to restrain them. If you 



become eager, and run on to retrieve a winged bird when 



it is running, you encourage them to do likewise, and do 



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