The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-10-19
gardus. more recently. killed with =
friend in one day three hundred and forty

Eardus. more recently. killed with
friend in one day three hundred and forty
of these birds on the Sangamon, in Lo-
San county. ILL.,. and says their ba 6 was
seldom so small as seventS-ilNes couple
at the right time. The larger score would
indicate an average OF little less than
three birds every Ave minutes for ten
hours Any one who has seen Bosardus
smash glass balls or shoot pigeons at
the trap, can readily believe that he could
ably assist in tho killing OF such num-
bers, but admitting the skill OF Bo3ar-
dus. no one can kali all the birds shot
at, and many escape without q shot be-
ing fired at them, either rising out Of
range. or while the gun is being re-
loaded and flying away from the line
OF the beat, so that 1t is evident there
must have been myriads OF birds on the
ground.
have seen these birds extremely
abundant little farther North IN 1lli-@
nois. and in many places In Indiana On
one coca sion. In Ohio. killed twenty
eight birds in about an hour before
breakfast, and one afternoon. after three
clock. I shot three dozen OF these birds
and few golden plovers within the lin
1t OF two fields. 1t was urged in Ohio
some years ago that the snipe needed no
legal protection since they came in such
abundance II would be impossible to ex-
terminate them.
WHY. THEY DISAPPEAR
There is reason for the absolute dis
appearance of these birds from many
places TO be found in the draining of
the lands. The feeding ground being
destroyed. the snipe no longer came. and
there was. Of course. no shooting. Some
of the most famous grounds in Indiana
zone of the best snipe States III the Union.
particularly the prairie grounds about
ginccnnes, and in the vicinity of Lana
yette. Chalmers. Reynolds, and other
places further North, were thus closed
to sportsmen
AS an Offset to this destruction Of good
shooting ground. some new grounds have
been made by turning in the cattle uTon=
lands adjacent to s!oughs and ponds,
where the wild grasses grew too tall and
heavy for the sripe. and where only the
rails were found.
While reducing the grass TO the proper
height for &snipe, the cattle improved the
feeding grounds by much tramping over
it. and in such places / have recently
found snipe abundant, where there were
none q few years ago.
The season before last / was flshilg
II, the waters Of the st. Clair Flats, and
Cor some miles about the small hotel
where was STOPPING the grasses were
entirely too long to llaTbor any snipe.
Tho rails were abundant, both the small
varieties and the large King Rails, but
there was not enough water IN the grass
to float a boat, ard it is well known that
success does not follow the pursuit of
rails afoot IT was September. and l
knew the snipe must be passing upon
their southern migration and made re-
peated Inquiries for them.
was assured by my landlord. who
was very fond of shooting. that there
wer, none about. but one Sunday. on a
tour of inspection through tho water
ways to the eastward. in the direction of
the middle channel, got lost in blind
cut and found al its head a farm which
supplied some of the larger hotels about
The south channel with milk. Upon go
ing ashore to make some inquiries as to
the best way to get to the middle chan
lel. I flushed a saipe and noticed that
tho cattle had made the ground most
suitable. The owner of the ranch had no
objection to my shooting l. fortunately,
/ had my gun in the boat and several boxes
of cartridges. and ] was soon at work
with the birds. shooting over a. brace Of
,Snai1icls which belonged TO the dairyman.
7 did sonne5very good shooting. and when
I returned with the birds my landlord
expressed surprise at my finding any SO
near at hand.
HAVE FALL sNIPE GROUNDS.
t,o,,o ,,,o4J,o, @;,,.o ~,