The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-12

destitute Of snipo visitors, while other territory no,
one half 40 promising, will be populous with them
Again on the following day these conditions may
be reversed. No man who starts out with boat
spectacle bag, though OF course, he will see some
tho county and on the next morning. when the
sun Is two hours high and the air Is soft with The
hand s mSp wts near m my
come In the night Of course but 30 softly that they
are not heard. Unlike The ployer. the kildee ihe
family, the iacksnipe has no note when IL Is In
passage. IL flies close UP 70 the stars and no
piaintive calls OF whisdings come down from T.
Occasionally, however, 1t migratcs IN thousands
and stops high above some particular bit OF round
and takes counsel Of its fellows as TO whether II
sometimes continue nearly all night When
this occurs the air Is trcnulous with the beating
OF wing and man listening intenly can hear
ingiy these councils always end by the birds de
Gliding to pitch, for this sound has never been
h,I snoS me S day. being
The length Of the iacksnipo's flight for 10 small
abird Is Tremendous, and u possesses apparently an
out the North, cold enough 10 force II to forsako
It's feeding ground II will cover from six 10 seven
hundred miles before II makes up It's mind TO stop.
and then II Is likely 70 hover for hours keeping
itself suspended by q rapid beating Of tho wings
which In some mysterious way. though driven
ability OF dig hi the bird Joins sing laI unenimity
OF action and TO this fact Is due the further fact
that grounds thick With tenants on one day are on
the next deserted, while other grounds far to tho
south or the east or the west therto empty, are
Allied with visitors The snipc In its migraions,
contrary 70 popular belief does not h9'd STACY
cover the distance between the Great Lakes AND
tho Gulf In week, II necessary, II searches indus
times follow a parallel Of latitude for several dc
grees instead OF travelling longitudinally wholly.
Like tho Wild goose /! often reyeIse IS; ~ hight
some far southern dash, IL will fly back steadily
northward until II strikes better temperature.
the changoablc ives, 10 the long lines OF geese
honking straight backward toward the places
where they were matched, and the iacksnipe h ,s
country they drift backward and forward for q
month when tho shifts Of weather Justify u their
return being traced by their movements In DUSK
In the full day hours tho snipe is always busily
feeding. or else squatted with his long bill tucked
other hand once started southwark, keep straigh t
on tarying hero and there where food Is plentiful.
sH, never BY any ehsnfS going n0rh ,0' .n ssn
proporuonate great spread Of wing and its highly
developed muscles enable IL 70 do all OF this extra
diuon ltisfat whcp II as attained It's full growth
In tho marshes OF Manitoba, and II etays fat until
/. has spent nearly all q Ne w,neT in shg n low
there IL does nothing save cat and sleep put ~
gets poorer as the season grows Older and when
II starts for the North Its bones are ready TO como
through the skin. Its great swifinoss makes
distance a matter Of no moment at all Starring
for, a given point 200 miles away. II viii arrive
Ia less tins than almost any species OF duck, tho
teal excepted. II Is no sense a water bird, being
as helpless when out OF It's depth as a chicken.
Of water when they lie athwart Its course
Snipe. being possessed BY q rare obstinacy when
they have made up their little minds 70 go. set
out in defiance Of all conditions In fact they
secm 20 be rendered restless hy severe storm
aud many Of their huge migrauons arc begun
during tho continuance OF violent cyconos No
vi II
down and they tack against II with all OF the per
sis,ency and skin Of a trained sailor bound 70
make port. Often when a cyclone reaches ms
section in me fall or early winter 1t will denude
tho snipo grounds OF every irhabiiant They
against that OF the air The steadiness With
which they arc hunted in every portion oil the
country visited by them and their value as q
table bird do not seem TO have diminished their
numbers Hunters often complain Of the growing
scarccn.ss Of ducks and geese. but not one Of
them ever has a word TO say Of essening mum
In the face Of steady butchery Is due probably 10
,ne skill with which Their pests are ooneenie 81
raj hardness Of them and the contempt with
which their eggs are viewed by egg hunters who
p p"s spS ss a. WV" NO, wort worth pianderns wild duck
eggs command as ready sale aud az good prices
the eggs of hens, but snpe eggs are not quoted
Their stay along the edges Of the Fox River
1. always brief There are no, more than two
weeks in any year during which shooting them
! in the season they desert the stream. for some
! unknown cause and take themselves to the small
lake; and RTnds on tho P,ainss or dep IN is ss
| work II Is still possible TO make fair bag
| but the man who wants them mus, be able to
! aud he must know where 10 look for them Snipe
are not 70 be found on every piece OF ground which
looks as to hold snip and eyper, knowl,
when they have deserted the limited territory
| along the edges Of the Fox
Despite repeated trials BY dcyoces OF this sport
and
have dreams OF wealth, the wit of man has never
been able 20 devise any means by which isck
of the family decay readily enough. golden plovei
in particular coming in 20 imitation birds with
out h"sitancy. The refusal OF tho iacksnlpe
is believed 10 be duo not 81 much Ia wisdom OF
shyncSs as 10 It's sccrotiye habits and the protec
tive celebration which the tribe has Develops
enemies that they are invisible TO each other
Nothing which looks like iacksnipe could be
placed in a natural position ON good snipe ground
In such manner as 70 be seen by other snip'
in fight and. as said before, they have no cal
or note Of invitation 20 the feast Their onl,
In rising and that is q sound OF alarm
Many people, through Ignorance mainly a, ar'
ing incksnipe for the FIRE which is to pluck them
but tn leave them undrawn. yet this y the only
proper way The single intestine q The 6rS
marrow coiled much like a wa,chspring. 1t IL
utterly. clcanly. The unabsorbed portion Of III
should not be drawn, it follows that it should no
be split down the back. and a consequence o
this Is that broins II Is a mighty poor way y
which to fix IL for consumption. il should III
baked or "smothered" and dono In this way 1t !!
| preferred by many epcuros to the woodcock
Certainly there could be no more toothsome game
Men who hunt tho Jack for revenue get lot o
exercise out Of il and considerable fun especial,
when the shooting is done from boat bu, theL,
IL no money in H. Jacks are worth now Onl,
81. ~ dnzen II a man kills two dozen in a day
lie may be said To have had good sport lie vii
have put In six hours Of hard work, hc will hav
used up n dollars worth OF shells, he will hav
worn out some good shoe leather and the chances
are that no will have lost several doll ars' wortl
Conseau cntly even men who live by the gun pre-
fer 10 hunt the jack for tho sport there Is In II
No market hunter can afford TO put in half da,
backs may sometimes DO killed In an hour. Evoi
no early In tho season canvas backs arc worth
81. 80 pair.