PLEASURES OF SNIPE-SHOOTING. 293 



men can go out in the hot months, without suffering from 

 over-fatigue and exposure to the sun. In the cold season any 

 one may shoot daily of course, and ba none the worse for it, 

 but rather the contrary. At that time of the year', I for one, 

 should like to hunt and shoot six days in the week, and read, 

 write, fill cartridges, look to the guns and rifles, and sharpen 

 spears on the seventh ; and thus I should do far less mischief 

 to my fellow-men than those who labour hard at their desks, 

 and in the courts in the vain attempts to manufacture silk 

 purses out of sows' ears, or to find the needle of truth in the 

 haystack of falsehood and rascality. The cold season being 

 over, I should like to retire gracefully like my betters to cool 

 and breezy mountain retreats, to practise tennis and to culti- 

 vate the social arts, till the return of the health-restoring north- 

 west breeze enables me once more to mingle with the common 

 herd of toilers in the plains. There is a ring of selfishness 

 not to say brutality in the above, but the sentiment expressed 

 is only human-nature, and must contain in it something lofty, 

 for it is put in practice by the highest and wisest of our 

 leading men. 



To men in weak or impaired health snipe-shooting must 

 of necessity be very injurious, and it should not be indulged 

 in by such ; but all others who are moderate and temperate in 

 their habits may follow that sport to their heart's content, 

 without any apprehension of evil results, so long as they 

 observe rules dictated by common sense. 



I must apologise for the egoism of some of the above 

 remarks, but when one ventures to offer suggestions based 

 upon personal experiences, it becomes difficult to steer clear 

 of what may seem presumption ; however let the desire to 

 serve my young brother sportsmen extenuate that fault. 



Considering the number of men who go out shooting during 

 the season from Calcutta, Barrackpoor, Dum-dum, Alipoor, and 

 other places, all near the " City of Evil Smells," the bags that 

 are often made are remarkable. The snipe have no rest or peace, 

 for when Europeans are not out after them, native " Shikarees " 

 are hard at work with guns and nets to supply the Calcutta 



