43S ORNITHOLOGY AND OOLOGY. 



The Snipe has been known to breed in Massachusetts ; but 

 the occurrence is very rare, and can be regarded only as ac- 

 cidentaL It breeds in Maine and further north, and in 

 Wisconsin and other AVestern States of that latitude it breeds, 

 I understand, not uncommonly. By the 25tli of August it 

 returns to the meadows of New England in small parties of 

 three or four ; but it is not abundant much before the lOtli 

 or 15tli of September, and then is not found in great num- 

 bers, unless we have had two or three sharp frosts. 



I am often asked what my opinion is as to the best dog 

 for snipe-hunting. I must confess that generally speaking 

 there is not much choice between a good setter and pointer, 

 although my preference certainly lies with the latter. With 

 a fast-working yet steady and staunch pointer I have made 

 my best bags, and I have shot over some very good setters. 



Setters are in my opinion less desirable than pointers in 

 wet, muddy, boggy meadows. One objection to them is that 

 their thick coats become saturated with water and mud, and 

 if the weather is cold they suffer considerably from the ex- 

 posure, and if they are taken in the carriage after the day's 

 sport is ended they make a sad mess. 



The pointer, on the contrary, in consequence of his short 

 coat of hair, dries off quickly and does not cause nor suffer 

 discomfort. The snipe-dog, however, should always be a 

 good retriever. Often is a bird shot on the opposite side 

 of a wide ditch, or river, or bog from the sportsman, and 

 unless the dog can be depended upon to retrieve he is al- 

 most useless. I have several times been obliged to strip and 

 swim across a river to recover a Snipe that had fallen on the 

 other side, and it requires but few sach experiences when 

 the water is barely above the freezing-point to convince one 

 of the importance of using only a good retriever. 



The Snipe remains with us in Xew England, in the au- 

 tunm, until quite severe freezing weather. In fact I have 

 shot them M'hen the ground was frozen hard, a few spring- 

 holes only being open. 



