He, or quite often she, frequently a child or street Arab, gathers a living from the gutter, or less literally, from discarded rags, trash, or other refuse, including food.
His mode of living, that is, resembles that of the snipe which pokes its bill into the mud lining a body of water for its food.
The term “Guttersnipe”, originating as slang, is not quite a hundred years old.
