SNIPE. 



55 



One mode of walking Snipes up is, by making a screen of thin 

 twigs and flags, the sportsman advancing very slowly with it 

 before him ; there must of course be an opening left in the 

 screen to look through, and the screen must be large enough 

 to hide the person from head to foot. Under these cir- 

 cumstances half a charge of powder and shot is quite suffi- 

 cient to kill the bird on the ground. Many inventions are 

 resorted to in order to catch Snipes in horse-hair springes, 

 most of which are next to useless ; the best of them known 

 to us is by treading a narrow path along the side of a bog, 

 and sticking right and left a row of green osiers or flags in 

 the ground, so as to form an avenue in miniature ; all along 

 the inside of this avenue horse-hair nooses must be suspended, 

 and some laid down on the ground, in which the Snipes are 

 pretty certain to be caught when they run along this shelter, 

 which they are sure to take advantage of in such open local- 

 ities. On the aits in the Thames we know that the fisher- 

 men catch Snipes by fastening horse-hair nooses to a peg 

 which is stuck in the ground in spots where the Snipes are 

 known to come and feed at night ; we have ourselves had 

 several Snipes brought to us alive that were thus obtained, 

 and have no doubt that it is as good a mode as can be put in 

 practice. 



Many persons watch for Snipes in the evening near spots 

 where they come to feed, but this proceeding is uncertain of 

 success, and attended with some danger from the unwhole- 

 some air of such spots, unless the weather is very mild and 

 fine. We have seen one of the fishermen on the Thames 

 take a low stool to sit upon, watching for Snipes in the even- 

 ing ; and this plan has a double advantage in bringing one's 

 sight close to the ground, since the Snipes, coming down 

 to a pool, must be fired at the instant they alight, after which 

 it is impossible to see them in the dusk. We have ourselves 



