106 Transactions. — Zoology. 



tail being composed of eighteen feathers instead of sixteen. It 

 is found in all suitable localities in Australia and Tasmania, 

 and northwards to Formosa and Japan, where it breeds. 



Mr. Gould, in his " Handbook to the Birds of Australia " 

 (vol. ii., p. 272), says, " In Tasmania it is very abundant during 

 the months of October, November, December, and January, 

 affords excellent sport to those fond of snipe-shooting, and is 

 to be found in all low swampy grounds, lagoons, rivulets, and 

 similar situations. Its weight varies from 5oz. to 6J oz. ; it is 

 consequently a much larger bird than the Gallinago scolapa- 

 cinus of Europe. It flies much heavier than that species, and 

 thus affords a more easy mark for the sportsman ; ii is also 

 more tame, sits closer, and when flushed flies but a short dis- 

 tance before it again alights. On rising it utters the same 

 call of ' scape-scape ' as the Gallinago scolap acinus. It is said 

 to breed in Tasmania, but, although many of the birds that I 

 killed bore evident marks of youth, I could not satisfaccorily 

 ascertain that such was the case. I found it very abundant 

 in many parts of New South Wales — in none more so than in 

 the lagoons of the Upper Hunter — during the months of 

 November and December ; but it was only a transient visitor, 

 the lagoons and swampy places then filled with water having 

 attracted it." 



The Australian snipe is at once distinguished from the 

 snipes indigenous to the outlying islands of New Zealand — 

 G. pusilla, G. aucklandicn, G. huegeli, &c. — by its much larger 

 size, darker plumage, and by the broad red band crossing the 

 tail. 



Before concluding, it may not be out of place to mention 

 the extreme sensitiveness of the bill in the snipes generally, as 

 described by Newton and other authors. A number of branch- 

 ing nerve-filaments run nearly to the tip, and open under the 

 soft cuticle in a series of cells that give that portion of the bill 

 almost the appearance of honeycomb, and which can be felt 

 externally as roughened projections on drawing the finger 

 down the bill. Thus the bill becomes a most delicate sense- 

 organ, enabling the bird, when probing for its food, to distin- 

 guish at once the nature of the objects it encounters, although 

 quite out of its sight. The same result is obtained by the 

 kiwis, but in a somewhat different manner. In their case the 

 nostrils, instead of occupying their usual position at the base 

 of the bill, are placed almost at the very tip. In probing the 

 ground the kiwis are consequently able to recognise their food 

 by the sense of smell, whereas in the snipes the sense of touch 

 is used. 



