_ SNIPE-SHOOTING. 337 
the plan. Beyond a repetition of the cautions as to making 
the dog work to hand and’ keeping him steady “ down charge,” 
there is little more to be said on the use of the pointer and setter. 
In driving, whether of the partridge or grouse, two dogs are used, 
as far as the gun is concerned. : 
SNIPE-SHOOTING. 
The following observations on snipe-shooting in Ireland, by an 
Irish sportsman, recently appeared in the columns of The Field ; 
and as the writer has had far more experience in this department 
of sport than I can lay claim to, I prefer introducing these extracts 
to inserting the results of my own experience, which, however, are 
strictly in accordance with his :— 
“In Ireland the best sportsmen do not commence snipe-shooting until the 
November frosts set in. ‘This is sometimes considered an old-fashioned pre- 
judice ; but there are good reasons why it should be postponed until that 
season ; for, although tue birds bred here are in good condition in September, 
or even earlier, they do not, except to. the mere tyro, afford anythiny like the 
same sport. Instead of the ringing scream and rapid eccentric flight with 
which they dart away from the shooter through the thin frosty air of a winter’s 
day, they flutter up with a faint cry from his feet, fly straight forward, and 
itch almost immediately ; while, to the gourmand, the difference in flavour 
between a bird placed on the table in September and December is almost as 
great as between a spent salmon and one fresh run from the sea. On the 
other hand, those birds which arrive here in October, during the equinoctial 
gales, are so thin and worn out with their long flight as scarcely to be worth 
powder and shot. 
“Tn shooting these birds, with or without a dog, it is always better to hunt 
down the wind, as, unless it is blowing a hurricane, they always fly against 
it. By this means the sportsman will get two shots for one he would other- 
wise obtain. The popular idea that the slightest graze will bring down a 
snipe is, like many popular ideas, a fallacy ; no bird requires more careful 
marking. After being fired at, I have known them fly nearly out of sight 
when shot clean through the body, and then drop suddenly dead. This 
happens most frequently when very light shot has been used ; and for that 
reason I would always recommend the shooter to load the second barrel with 
‘No. 6 shot. It has another advantage. He will often meet hares, teal, und 
duck at distances where his light shot would be thrown away ; and it is well 
to be prepared for them. If a snipe stops screaming and stoops in his flight 
after being fired at, it is a pretty good sign that he is hit hard, If his legs 
drop he is mortally wounded, and will never fly far. 
- Tn some marshes snipe are very wild, rising in wisps, before you can 
corhe within range. This generally occurs when the ground is wet, and the 
birds are sitting upon the little hillocks above the water. In such cases the 
dog should be tied up, and the sportsman ought to walk them up alone. If 
this does not succeed, the only chance left is to stand (under cover if possible) 
Seo ag ae - 
