74 Snipe ' drumming ' 



3. That it is only during a certain part of the tlight, namel\', 

 the downward stoop, that the sound is produced, and 

 then when the feathers are held in certain definite 

 positions. 



I mav make matters plainer if I attempt to describe this peculiar 

 flight hert\ 



T'le Snipe rises from the ground, and with bold sweeps, ascends 

 obli(_u.lv till he reaches a considerable elevation, the wings being 

 fully opened, and the tail closed as in ordinary' flight. 



Perhaps it utters its " jick-jack " note on the upward journey, 

 perhaps it is silent — anyway, there is none of the vibratory 

 " drumming " heard. Tlie height the bird attains is very variable : 

 sometimes he soars up till almost out of sight ; at others, up to 40 



Fig. 6. 



or 50 feet only : but he must rise a considerable distance in order to 

 produce the " drumming." 



The Snipe having now reached the desired level, takes a sharp, 

 downv/ard stoop, making an angle of about 45° with the ground. 

 As he turns his head down for the phmge, he spreads his tail to the 

 uttermost, at the same time elevating the fan somewhat over his 

 back (Fig. 6). 



The wings are half closed, and the shoulder-joint is locked and 

 held rigid. With the commencement of the downward stoop, the 

 drumming sound is heard (allowing, of course, for the time the sound 

 may take to travel to the observer) : it grows louder and louder as 

 the pace increases, reaches a maximum, and then begins to decrease 

 again as the Snipe nears the end of the downward flight, and ceases 

 suddenly, perhaps 50 feet from the ground, as the bird sharply turns 

 its course, and goes off again on its ascending flight. 



