P Sabine's Snipe shot in Lancashire. 613 



same as the other feathers of the wing : these differences he 

 supposes to be the distinguishing ones between the male and 

 female. Now, what I wish to know is, whether a less sort 

 of woodcock is known to occur ever in this country ? or 

 whether this is to be considered a dwarf one of the common 

 species? Or, can it be the American woodcock? which is, I 

 believe, a small bird. The individual was considered so curi- 

 ous there, that they had it stuffed. Bewick does not help us. 

 — A Constant Reader. 13. Old Cavendish Street, March 12. 

 1833. 



[Montagu states (see Rennie's Mont. Orn. Diet., p. 560.) 

 that the woodcock " is subject to great variety : some are 

 very dark-coloured and small ; others are large, and the 

 plumage much more rufous. These have been thought two 

 different sexes, but without foundation. By dissecting many, 

 we found that the female is generally larger, and commonly 

 partakes more of the ferruginous than the male."] 



A Pair of a Species of Bird, presumed to be Sabine's Snipe, 

 (Scolopax Sabini Vigors), shot in Lancashire. (III. 29.) — 

 Some years ago I killed what I am now persuaded was a 

 Sabine's snipe ; but, unfortunately, it was not preserved ; for, 

 hanging it up in the larder with the other birds I had killed, 

 I found, to my great mortification, that the cook had stripped 

 it of every feather before I was aware of it, and before I had 

 noted down the markings of the plumage. The dry weather 

 of August, 1820, had driven a flock of the golden plover from 

 the moors to the banks of the river Wharfe; and, on the 14th 

 of that month, I had been out with my gun endeavouring to 

 shoot some of them. On my return I sprang this snipe from 

 a pond near home, and killed it. When I picked it up, I was 

 astonished to find a snipe with the plumage of a woodcock, 

 and showed it to a friend of mine who is a good practical or- 

 nithologist ; but he was as much puzzled as myself to give it a 

 name : so, not being able to find a description of it in any 

 books to which we had access, we jumped to the conclusion, 

 that it was a hybrid between the snipe and the woodcock, and 

 called it a bastard woodcock. According to the recollection 

 I have of it, it was as large as the solitary snipe, and the bill 

 was a little longer ; the general appearance of the plumage 

 on the wings and back resembled a dark-coloured woodcock ; 

 but under the wings the fine bloe inner coverts exactly re- 

 sembled those of the snipe. In those days I had no idea of 

 the value attached to rare birds, nor did I know any thing of 

 the art of preserving birds, or of bird-preservers; and, no 

 doubt, some of these gentlemen will pronounce me a great 

 Goth, when I tell them, that what I regretted most, when I 



