Chap. XIII. 



Instrumental, Music, 



377 



after zig-zagging about for a time descends to the earth in a 

 curved line, with outspread tail and quivering pinions, and 

 surprising velocity. The sound is emitted only during this 

 rapid descent. No one was able to explain the cause, until 

 M. Meves observed that on each side of the tail the outer feathers 

 are peculiarly formed (fig. 41), having a stiff sabre-shaped shaft 



Fig. 42. Outer tail-feather of Scolopax frenata. 



Fig. 41. Outer tail-feather of Scolopax gallinago (from ' Proc. Zool. Soc.' 1858). 



with the oblique barbs of unusual length, the outer webs being 



strongly bound together. He found that by blowing on these 



feathers, or by fastening them to a long thin stick and waving 



them rapidly through the air, he could reproduce the drumming 



noise made by the living bird. Both sexes are furnished with 



these feathers, but they are generally larger in the male than 



in the female, and emit a 



deeper note. In some 



species, as in S. frenata 



(fig. 42), four feathers, 



and in S. javensis (fig. 43), 



no less than eight on each 



side of the tail are greatly 



modified. Different tones 



are emitted by the feathers 



of the different species 



when waved through the air ; and the Scolopax Wihonii of the 



United States makes a switching noise whilst descending rapidly 



to the earth. 53 



In the male of the Chamcepetes unicol.or (a large gallinaceous 

 bird of America) the first primary wing-feather is arched towards 

 the tip and is much more attenuated than in the female. In an 

 allied bird, the Penelope nigra, Mr. Salvin observed a male, which, 

 whilst it flew downwards " with outstretched wings, gave forth 

 " a kind of crashing rushing noise," like the falling of a tree. 54 



Fig. 43. Outer tail-feather of Scolopax javensis. 



53 See M. Meves' interesting 

 paper in 'Proc. Zool. Soc' 1858, p. 

 199. For the habits of the snipe, 

 Macgillivray, 'Hist. British Birds,' 

 vol. iv. p. 371. For the American 

 snipe, Capt. Blakiston, 'Ibis,' vol. v. 

 1863, p. 131. 



54 Mr. Salvin, in ' Proc. Zool. 

 Soc' 1867, p. 160. I am much in- 

 debted to this distinguished orni- 

 thologist for sketches of the feathers 

 of the Chama?petes, and for other 

 information. 



