The sun., 1909-11-14


ths moss q your pircxus into narrow
bayou the hanks OF which are barron
from recent nrs. Thcrs may be no sign
Of bird lsfs. but II 10 no proof that the long
billed twisting Machiaveiii Of the bird
tribe In not lurking theeccn-
You scramble ashore and walk stealth
ny forward. sinking at each step few
inchss I'm tho moist carpet cf ocze and
budding green. Thersis q grating chirp.
Q Cash Of gray and away goss Mr.. Jack
snipe. darting hithsr and thither With tho
speed Of tho wind.
Some folks say you must wait on your
bird 90 a. to lot him stnaightsn out In his
night before you pull the trigger. but On
q windy day when tho snipe arc uneasy
and win mot lie tho time 10 get busy is
whom you get q slimpse OF tho gray
ssern Of this earnest >of gane birds.
Sometimes he viii lie hidden from the
clossst OF eyes while you walk over him
repeatedly. and whom your back is turned
be viii rise with his dsrisivs noto apd 70
OF at sharp tangent. his long bill cleav-
ing the wind and giving him most sporty
appearance.
Oftentimes where there has not been
any evidence Of game the discharge OF
the gun win launch . dozen or moro birds
into the air. and II they have not been shot
at to any great extent and tho ground 10
favorable for feeding they will not fiy far
but viii generally mako . turn or two in
the air and sstxle down with many fiut-
terings Of their long wings. Frequently
a single bird viii travel almost beyond
the range Of vision when disturbed. and
a. A. - A. 4v.k H. - md
remains stiH he will return. accompanied
~ others picked up during tho flight.
II II the custom Of some TO hunt snipe
with dog. but the work calls for sxcep-
tional qualifications In setter, pointer OF
spaniel, and many sporssusn prefer to
take an even chance with the superb
bird whose habitat includes almost every
country on tho globe. The sort OF dog
that would do good work on snips would
be O potterer. slow Of foot and stanch in
the extreme. This sort OF dog 10 exceed-
insIy ditacult to find. and when IL ID added
that the animal must also be q good re-
triever the difiicuIty OF obtaining such q
dog 10 increased tremendously.
Some there are who win tell you that q
COCKER or other spaniel trained to re-
trisvs is the ideal dog for the sport. but
the man who hunts the jaoksnipe with
out any canine assistance gets the most
out OF the sport. He must be alert con-
sssntly and his eye must be true 20 mark
the dead birds. Tho general policy Of the
expert who hunts alone 10 to drop n
glove. hat OF handkerchief IL he fails to
pick up his dead bird at the point where
hs thinks the quarry fell. Then II another
shot is Afforded and kill Ia made pur-
sue the same course. Il quite frequently
happens that where the birds are plen-
tiful and shots come quickly most Of the
personal equipment OF the sportsman will
DO scattered about the prairie.
Then comes the fascination OF the
chase. A jacksnipe nine times out OF
ten falls upon his breast with wings out
spread. The back and wings OF the bird
match the color OF the cover In q way
that Is amazing and frequently five
minutes will be consumed in picking up
bird that apparently fell in the open.
Frequently the birds are not found In
any but the rottenest Of prairies--prsiries
tremblants. they are called In Louisiana,
because OF the fact that they are simply
mass OF ooze with thin covering OF
grsss. and Il Ia no trick for man to make
an area OF the stun q couple OF thousand
feet square tremble like jelly by simply
jumping up and down upon it.
There are sections OF this trembling
prairie dotted here and there with the
homes OF the Thousands Of muskrats
which infest them. and the man who can
walk them must be stout OF leg and a. at
a. any OF the gladiators Of old. This 10
the haunt Of the jacksnipe when you can't
find him any place else. and only the most
follow him thither.
The rotten crust Of the prairie, under
mined by the rodents. breaks through
and the hunter goes FIRST to knee and then
10 thigh. and not infrequeotly 10 his waist.
and sometimes further. In the slime. Not
infreouentty the gun has to Be pressed
into service In order to keep the hunter
afioat by being placed crosswiss. and an
hour In such place makes tho strongest
heart beat like Q triphamrher. Not more
than half tho birds killed In such places are
retrieved. and the shooting 10 moet unsat-
isfsctory. a. the snipe has . tantalixing
way OF rising just an the gunner is trying
TO pull one OF his legs out Of hole OF
Indefinite depth.
Tired with the Nlabor OF walking the
morass the aim is poor and the shooter
leaves OF. vowing that he win never shoot
there again. And he won't-until the
next time he is In that vicinity, 90 strong
10 the call for sport.
There is one spot near the Pearl River
bridge on the Louisville and Nashville.
within 300 yards OF the palatial camp
built by Albert Baldwin, ST.. and his asso-
ciatss, which 10 known by every snipe
shooter in New Orleans. for they have all
been In IL at some time or other. II con-
tains perhaps twenty-five acres and you
can sit on the railroad tracks and see the
snips flirting iaxily about on tho surface.
which 10 not much thicker than the gumbo
hlet Jules would serve you at his res
taurant in st. Louis street.
| When there Isn't q anipe anywhere
else within hfty miles Of New Orleans
that triangular strip has them to spare.
More than one man has had a close call
for his life through becoming mired
there. and ropes had to be used on one
occasion to rescue q prominent New
| York sportsman who had sunk In the oozs