Sabine's Snipe 'oi 



have no note of the exact numbers, but it is probably not less than 

 40--making a total, in rough figures, of loo birds up to date. 



In December, iqo6, W'illiams, the Dublin taxidermist, had three 

 Sabine's Snipe through his hands in less than a fortnight. 



1. Shot on December lotli, 1906. — Ballina, Co. Mayo. 



2. Shot on December 15th, ,, —-Co. Leitrim. 



3. Shot on December 20th, ,, —Co. Clare. 



Of these, two conformed with the dark " type," but the third was 

 altogether an intermediate form between the typical Sabine and the 

 Common Snipe. 



My own experience of Sabine's Snipe extends to two birds only. 

 One I fiuslud in the Scotts Hall m.arshes (Suffolk). It rose out of 

 shot, and ]:)assed off our ground. I never heard of it again, but I 

 was quite near enough to be positive of my diagnosis. 



The other I met with on one of the Northern Islands (Papa 

 Westra}-) of the Orkne\' group, and I had ample opportunities for 

 making his acquaintance very thoroughly. Even now, this bird 

 comes back to me in my unquiet dreams, and I hear again the derisive 

 " sceap, sceap," as he wings his phantom way unscathed through 

 hailstoims of misdirected shot. 



I first raised him from a little drain at my feet on November 

 30th, i88q ; I had just emptied both barrels at a Grey Plover, a 

 rare bird in Orkney, and I was anxious to obtain the specimen for 

 the late Mr. Buckley, who was engaged at the time on the fauna of 

 these islands. 



The Plover dropped and the Snipe rose. He dashed over an 

 adjoining brae-face and disappeared, nor could I find him again 

 after a prolonged search. Snipe, however, if the\- like a place, 

 generally come back to it before long, and, reckoning on the habit, 

 I salliecl forth the following morning, determined, if I were lucky 

 enough to flush him again, that nothing short of a miracle should 

 sa\e him. 



It was a lovely morning, with a glorious sun shining ftill over- 

 head, and I approached the spot full of confidence. At first, I 

 drew the drain blank, working it carefulh^ from end to end with the 

 sun at my back. I then tried one or two other likelv places with an 

 equally unsatisfactory result ; and, finally, as a last resort, decided 

 to try the drain again. This time being a little disheartened, and 

 thoroughly convinced that the Snipe was not at home, I plodded 

 along on the opposite side of the ditch, with the sun shining full in 

 my eyes. From the same spot as before, under my very feet, a 

 sudden commotion, a loud " sceap, sceap," and off went the animated 

 bottle of ink, straight into the sun. I fired both barrels into the 

 blaze of light, seeing nothing, but hoping some fortunate pellet might 

 find its way home. A moment's silence followed ; and then, some- 

 where in the distance beyond the dazzling rays, there came back the 

 mocking " sceap " of my departing friend. 



