Notices of British Snipes. {'^ 143 



Art. VI. Descriptive and Historical Notices of British Snipes, 

 By H. V. D. 

 Sir, 

 I HIGHLY approve the plan of your Magazine, and regard 

 it as a useful medium of collecting and recording the observ- 

 ations and intelligence, both of scientific naturalists, and ob- 

 servers of nature, in various parts of the kingdom. By these 

 means the science of natural history may be much benefited, 

 and the researches of the naturalist much promoted; many 

 errors may thus be corrected, and valuable facts established. 

 The particular kind of communication I should recommend 

 in the zoological department of your undertaking would be 

 complete natural histories of particular species or families of 

 animals. The accurately noting down the arrival and depar- 

 ture of the migratory birds (as proposed in your Perennial 

 Calendar of Nature, p. 80. of your First Number) will help to 

 elucidate the mystery attendant upon our periodical visitants. 

 In aid of your useful plan I will now proceed to offer you an 

 attempt at the history of the Common Snipe, and its two con- 

 geners, the Jack and Solitary Snipe, according to my observ- 

 ation and experience, as a naturalist and sportsman, in the 

 eastern part of the county of Norfolk. The plan I propose 

 to pursue, in this communication, is to begin with their first 

 arrival here in the spring months ; then to trace them through 

 the breeding season, to the arrival and departure of the multi- 

 tudes which cover our marshes in the latter part of autumn. 



Some few individuals remain with us during the winter 

 months, if unaccompanied with severe frosts, in which latter 

 case they all invariably quit our extensive tract of marshes 

 to find food and shelter in warmer climes and open springs. 

 In the early part of February a few return to this district, 

 being regulated in their emigration by the state of the tem- 

 perature, and by the quarter whence the wind blows. Their 

 arrival is delayed by the prevalence of east and north-easterly 

 winds ; but should warm genial air, accompanied with south- 

 west winds, at this time prevail, they will arrive in greater 

 numbers, and at an earlier period. I am convinced, from the 

 observation of several years, that their return is much regu- 

 lated by the state of the atmospheric temperature, inasmuch 

 as that return is consistent with the flowering of certain wild 

 plants, which is retarded or forwarded precisely as the spring 

 happens to be cold or warm. For instance, in the latter parts 

 of the month of February the little Z)raba verna is seen opening 

 its flowers on old walls and banks with a southern exposure ; 

 at that time I have invariably observed that a few snipes (the ad- 

 vanced guard of the main body) are to be found in our marshes. 



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