240 rPLAXD SHOOTIXG. 



It is true that, on the rice plantations of tlie South., or on 

 the wet praiiies of the West, ^\-here snipe are oft«n found 

 in hundreds, a retrieving spaniel may seem to be all that 

 is needed, the shooter doing the finding and flushing of 

 the birds; but. as Forester says, '• where would be the 

 sport of such slow gunning?" " To the true si>ortsman — 

 the man who shoots for the sake of the healthful exer- 

 cise, and nof for the market — seeing the good work done 

 by his dog-s is by far the most enticing part of any shoot- 

 ing. As regards snipe-dogs, it may be said of them, as 

 of the snipe-shooter, neither can ever become absolutely 

 perfect at the work. Don't start, reader; I will explain. 

 Ton may be a crack shot, have a dog. or a brace of dogs, 

 so perfect on woodcock, gi'ouse. and quail, and be your- 

 self so thorottghly well np in all the habits of these 

 game birds, that you never have any difiiculty in outwit- 

 ing them, but in snipe-shooting you have a different 

 bird altogether. After thii'ty years of constant experi- 

 ence with them, the writer might reasonably be supposed 

 to Ivuow all theti- ways, yet such is not the case. Every time 

 I go after them I learn something new, because of their 

 changeableness of mood. In fact, about the only thing 

 ceitain you can say of them is that they are very ttncertain. 

 Dr. Lewis, in his Anierican Sports7nan. says that lie 

 has "never seen a good snipe-dog." Well, he was cer- 

 tainly itnfortunate in his experience. I have seen them, 

 and owned them. He also insists that the best days to 

 shoot snipe are very windy ones, and that he can get 

 nearer to them, and get more and better shots, on such 

 days, and find and flush the birds himself, than can anyone 

 on still days. He is wholly at variance with our best 

 authorities on this point. Curiously enough, it so hap- 

 pens that Dr. Lewis. Forester, and myself have done 

 the most of our snipe-shooting in the same State — Xew 

 Jersey — and on grounds not very wide apart. 



