1 6 The h'ish Natural ist. 



In time, Sabine's Snipe has been distributed sporadically 

 since Vigors described it in 1822. From that year to the 

 present time examples have been obtained one by one, seldom 

 more than one in any single j^ear, and seldom more than 

 three or four years have intervened between the individual 

 occurrences. 



Sabine's Snipe has been shot in ever}' month of the shoot- 

 ing season, that is from September to March, most numerouslj', 

 perhaps, from October to January. No doubt, were snipe 

 shooting customar}" all the year round, every month would be 

 able to claim one or two examples. Of the spring, summer, 

 and autumn months, August claims four examples, including 

 two as early as the 5th. To September, however, I can only 

 allot one, and that on the 28th of the month. One in Mr. J. 

 H. Gurney's collection was shot on the 5th of May, but no 

 specimens that I am aware of have been shot in the months of 

 April, June, or July, except one obtained in the breeding 

 season of 1831 or 1832 at Heron Court, Hants (E5'ton's ''Rarer 

 British Birds," p. 160). 



Among the recorded instances of the occurrence of this bird 

 I have been unable to find many allusions to the sex of the 

 examples obtained, but several are stated to have been females, 

 and at least one was a male. This form of plumage is, there- 

 fore, not confined to either sex. 



It is nearly impossible to examine a series of examples 

 of Sabine's Snipe, since there is no collection that I know of 

 which contains a good series. I cannot, therefore, say much 

 of the plumage of this bird, or to what extent individuals var)^ 

 from the type. That they do vary to a certain extent is cer- 

 tain, and two birds have been described as being intermediate 

 in coloration between Sabine's and the Common Snipe. One 

 of these was obtained near Waterford, on November 25th, 1883. 

 It was examined by Mr. J. E. Harting, and by him described 

 in the Zoologist (1884, p. 272). It was remarkable for its pale 

 tone of coloration. The second was killed in the vicinity of 

 Hastings, and examined by Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., who 

 remarked that it approximated more closel}^ to the Common 

 than to Sabine's Snipe, but he had seen no variety of the 

 Snipe exactly like it {Zoologist, 1884, p. 339). Other specimens 

 have been recorded to vary in the shade of their plumage, 

 thus the specimen, which is stated to have been obtained near 



