THE GAME BIRD 8 OF INDIA, BURMA AND CEYLON. 555 



In the Indian Field of the 12th May 1904 a correspondent 

 records shooting snipe up to the 3rd May and " Raoul," in the same 

 paper of the 26th July 1909, also records shooting a snipe on the 

 3rd May. 



A few birds stay all the year round in the plains but these do not 

 number one in every ten thousand of those that visit us and are 

 undoubtedly birds which have been wounded and so temporarily 

 incapacitated from long flights. In this category I place the 

 birds shot during May at Haripal and also others which were found 

 breeding in the Sonthal Parganas. 



All snipe are more or less nocturnal, or at all events crepuscular, 

 in their habits and their migrations take place almost entirely by 

 night. As a rule moonlight nights are selected for their journeys 

 and at the commencement and end of the migration seasons the 

 constant pench, pench, of snipe flying overhead may often be heard 

 although the birds themselves, even on the most brilliant of moon- 

 light nights, may be far too high to be visible. 



As sportsmen well know the snipe is very intolerant of sun and 

 in the hotter months, during the heat of the day, most birds seek 

 the shelter of some heavy crop, whilst those who stay in the fields 

 of short rice or in similar places get under the shade of the banks 

 which divide the fields or under some special^ rank tuft high 

 enough to afford them some protection. 



I well remember on one occasion shooting near Calcutta on a 

 very hot day in early September when still very unversed in the 

 ways of snipe and accordingly failed to work the proper places 

 when the sun got high up. The walking was delightful, thin 

 paddy and ankle-deep mud and water, and from 7 a.m. up to 

 about 9-30 the firing was continuous with a quickly mounting bag. 

 Then suddenly the birds ceased to rise and weary tramping from 

 10 to tiffin time and again on to nearly 4 p.m. was rewarded with 

 scarce half a dozen shots and these at birds which rose at our 

 feet, generally doubling back at once and affording but difficult 

 shots. After 4 p.m. however the birds seemed gradually to 

 increase again and the last hour's shooting added some 20 couple 

 to our sticks. 



Shooting over the same ground by myself a few days later as 



