EGGS OF BRITISH BIRDS. 153 



to the valley of the Yenisei, but in winter confined to the basin 

 of the Mediterranean and the continent of Africa. It is not even 

 known to pass through Turkestan on migration. 



It makes its nest in the long grass, but more often in the 

 middle of a hillock of sedge or rushes. A small quantity of moss 

 or dead grass is placed as a lining to the depression, where its 

 four eggs are laid. 



The eggs of the Great Snipe are very handsome, and vary 

 in ground-colour from pale greyish-buff (sometimes with the 

 faintest possible green tinge) to pale brownish-buff, and are 

 spotted and blotched with rich dark brown and paler brown, 

 and with underlying markings of purplish-brown and grey. Most 

 of the blotches are distributed round the largest part of the egg. 

 often in an oblique direction, and many of them are confluent. 

 Some eggs have the large end covered with a network of streaks, 

 but more often only a few lines are seen. The underlying mark- 

 ings are large, numerous, and very conspicuous. The eggs vary 

 in length from 19 to 17 inch, and in breadth from 13 to 122 

 inch. 



THE COMMON SNIPE. 

 (Scolopax gallinago.)* 

 Plate 40, Figs. 10, 11, 12. 



The Common Snipe is generally distributed throughout the 

 British Islands, nesting wherever swampy ground, even of limited 

 extent, is to be found. It breeds throughout the whole of North 

 Europe and Siberia, but is very rare north of lat. 70°, and in the 

 southern portions of its breeding range is chiefly confined to 

 mountain ranges. 



The nest is a mere depression lined with dead grass, and is 

 generally placed in a bunch of rushes, or sedge, in the middle of 

 a swamp. 



The eggs, nearly always four in number, vary in ground-colour, 

 but are mostly pale greyish-green, spotted and blotched with 

 rich dark brown, with underlying markings of pale brown and 

 grey. Most of the blotches are on the large end of the egg, often 



* Gallinago caslestis (Frenz.)— Saunders, Manual, p. 557. G. gallinagoSharpe, 

 Handb., III., p. 215. 



