THE SNIPE AND SNIPE-SHOOTING. 141 



shot, the snipe rising near at hand will have 

 but a very small chance of getting away. But 

 as one miss will lose the wager, it is abso- 

 lutely necessary that the shooter should know 

 when he is holding his gun so that it is virtu 

 ally certain he will kill. If I had got the 

 match, 1 should have used no dog to shoot over, 

 but should have walked the bottoms, going down- 

 wind, and should have chirped the snipe up with 

 their own cry. I have often killed thirty with 

 out a miss, when shooting for. no wager, and 

 taking every bird that rose within fair distance, 

 as they got up anywhere. These things may seem 

 strange to many sportsmen, especially those who 

 are mostly conversant with places where game 

 is scarce and, being much disturbed and shot at, 

 quite wild. But different localities and very 

 different circumstances must be allowed for. I 

 state nothing which is not true, and nothing but 

 what I can support by good testimony — that of 

 men who know the ground, and are acquainted 

 with many of the anecdotes and fpats I relate. 

 In general snipe-shooting a man who kills two 

 out of four is accounted a good shot, and this 

 is generally done by beating up-wind. Now, if 

 such a man will try my plan and beat down 



