382 SCOLOPAX GALLINULA. 



tipped with greyish-Avhite, which latter is the prevailing 

 colour on the sides of the back. The upper tail-coverts and 

 rump-feathers are dusky, variegated with light red, and 

 broadly margined with pale yellowish-red. The tail-feathers 

 are dusky, on the outer web toward the end undulated with 

 dull light red, all margined with light red. The wings are 

 dusky ; the coverts and quills tipped with greyish-white, the 

 middle coverts with reddish ; the inner secondaries and their 

 coverts barred with light red on the outer web. The breast 

 and abdomen are white ; the upper part of the sides streaked 

 with dusky and red ; the loAver tail-coverts with a slight 

 reddish central streak. The lower wing-coverts deep grey, 

 edged with greyish- white. 



Length to end of tail 8^ inches ; extent of wings 144 ; 

 bill along the ridge l^V, along the edge of lower mandible 

 1^- ; wing from flexure 4^ ; tail 2-fe ', tarsus \^ ; hind toe 

 -fe, its claw -y^- ; second toe T 6 Y , its claw T 2 -j ; third toe 1 T V, 

 its claw -^ ; fourth toe \±, its claw -f^. 



Female. — The female resembles the male. 



Habits. — The Jack Snipe arrives about the beginning of 

 October, sometimes earlier, and departs in March. It is 

 generally dispersed over the country, residing in marshy 

 places, by the margins of rivers and lakes, in ditches, and, 

 in short, in the same kind of places as our Common Snipe. 

 Unless occasionally in time of snow, when attracted by 

 unfrozen patches of water, individuals never congregate, this 

 species being more solitary than even the other. 



Although not nearly so numerous, it is not at all rare in 

 many districts, and is generally dispersed over Britain. In 

 Scotland the proportion of Jack Snipes to Common Snipes 

 cannot, I think, be greater than as one to a hundred ; but 

 in Ireland, according to Mr. Thompson, who calculates from 

 actual facts, Jack Snipes would seem to be in the proportion 

 of about one-fourth to the common species." He states that 

 it has " greatly increased in numbers of late years in the 

 north of Ireland ; and gives, from Mr. E. Jackson, game- 

 keeper, several instances of its breeding in that country. In 



