THE SNIPE 275 



or dabblers, where the snipe, although abundant, are 

 scattered about on the narrow rims of mud and there 

 is often no good shooting. I was discussing this mat- 

 ter one day with a member of the Ottawa Club, when 

 he pointed out to me an excellent piece of snipe 

 ground across the river which had been made by turn- 

 ing in some pigs. He said he believed these' animals 

 made even a better snipe ground than the cattle, but 

 on this point I have my doubts. I have never much 

 fancied shooting when a flock of pigs followed on be- 

 hind as witnesses. The snipe are often found abund- 

 dant upon the sloppy tracts used by cattle about the 

 distilleries, and I am quite sure some undesirable 

 sloughs and wet lands can be converted into good 

 snipe grounds by the use of these animals. 



Another method which has been tried with some 

 success is the burning of the grass when it is very dry, 

 and I have recently seen it stated, I forget now where, 

 that the frost seems to come out of the ground earlier 

 where the grass has been burned off, and the sugges- 

 tion was made that the blackened surface took more 

 kindly to the sun's rays. Any place especially desira- 

 ble by reason of the frost being out of the ground and 

 the food abundant will attract the birds upon their 

 first arrival and hold them until their departure, pro- 

 vided they be not too much persecuted. There 

 should be at all clubs certain rest days for these birds 

 each week, such as are provided by law in some States 

 for the ducks, when under the club rules the birds 

 would be unmolested. 



Upon preserves where there are both snipe and 

 ducks certain days might be open for eaqh, and when 



