Snidget-hunting

Snidget-hunting tapestry, showing hunters finding, pursuing and catching a Golden Snidget, with the winner awarded gold.

Snidget-hunting is an outlawed wizarding sport in Quidditch Through the Ages, in which a bird is chased and caught.

About

Chasing and catching the Snidget was considered an achievement in the wizarding world because of how quick and alert they are. To garner prestige, witches and wizards started hunting them for fun on broomsticks. Snidgets are fragile creatures and were often crushed when captured. They could be captured with hands, nets and wands. The winner of a hunt received a prize of gold. It was typically played in broad daylight.

History

Early history

By the early twelfth century, Snidget-hunting had been very popular with witches and wizards for a long time. The sport was so prevalent that there was more sightings by Muggles of witches and wizards on broomsticks than any other pursuit. Even the Wizards' Council appeared to enjoy the sport and did very little to try and curb the popularity of Snidget-hunting. A tapestry created in this time depicting the sport is kept in the Museum of Quidditch.

Introduction to Quidditch

In 1269, the then-Chief of the Wizards' Council, Barberus Bragge was attending a game of Quidditch. Bragge decided to offer of 150 galleons to the player who caught the Snidget first, which he trapped within the confines of the field with a spell. Everyone stopped playing Quidditch and pursued the bird. Modesty Rabnott disagreed with what was happening and felt sorry for the bird, which she saved with a Summoning Charm. However, the idea gained favour with the wider wizarding community which started releasing Snidgets into every Quidditch game, and introduced the position of the Hunter who had to pursue and catch the bird to end the game and win 150 points for their team.

Outlawing

Over the next century, Snidget-hunting for the purpose of Quidditch drove the Golden Snidget to near extinction. In the mid-fourteenth century, Chief Elfrida Clagg of the Warlocks' Council made Snidget-hunting illegal to protect the species. To replace the bird, a new ball called the Golden Snitch was created.