SNIPE: BREEDING SEASON. 239 
excrescence of the surface. The eggs, which are of a yel- 
lowish-brown color, blotched with dark markings, taper 
very much toward the small end; they are always placed 
in the nest with the larger end outward. As soon as the 
young are hatched, they leave the nest, and in six weeks 
afterward.are almost full grown. At this age it is impos- 
sible to tell the Wilson snipe from our home variety ; how- 
ever, at any period the only difference that exists is that 
one species has two more feathers in the wing than the 
other. ; 
Last year but one I shot snipe day after day, till a sur- 
feit might have been expected, and only desisted when the 
advancement of the season proclaimed the approach of the 
period for breeding; and, though some might imagine such 
a lengthened campaign would have sufficed for coming 
years, before twelve months had slipped past I stretched 
my arms, looked at the sky, observed the wind, all three 
of which being favorable, anathematized, perhaps, the des- 
tiny or fate that compelled me to accept more sedentary 
town occupation. 
With that intuitive feeling that tells the swallow when 
to migrate, the fish a change of weather, or the cattle the 
portended storm, we feel certain that all the southern prai- 
ries of Illinois are now alive (March) with snipe, that they 
are lying well to the gun, and that heavy bags are being 
made. We can even shut our eyes and imagine that we 
are just approaching some favorite spot either bordering 
on a slough or stream, or rich-loamed dip between swelling 
slopes, and that the game is flushing right and left, as we 
cautiously pursue our course down wind, while our trusty 
and well-tried gun rapidly responds to our aim. Again 
and again we fill and empty our blood-stained pockets, till 
the body from fatigue calls “ Hold, enough!” or we re- 
turn, with waning day, to our little bald-faced pony, ever 
