A Footnote on Snipe

Susan Barnes of Wichita writes:

While I greatly enjoyed your article on haggis, I have to point out that there really is such a thing as a snipe. Yes, a lot of people leave a lot of other people out in the woods as a joke, but truth be told, the common snipe is common to the United States. It is difficult to find because it is great at remaining absolutely still for extended periods of time and blends in incredibly with its environment. But it is real, as evidenced by this tipsheet from the U.S. Geological Survey.

That's a fact. Moreover, the English word sniper — as in "one who snipes," i.e., shoots at a distant target by stealth — derives from the actual practice of snipe hunting in the 18th century. More...