Northern Observations of Inland Birds 251 



be less like the sound than ** tinker-tinker," the originator 

 of which would probably be deaf to the similarity of my 

 own " chipp-churr." Any combination of vowels and 

 consonants judiciously spaced would probably suit some- 

 one, which shows the utter futility of attempting to put 

 bird sounds into letters. 



At all events, " Quick-Jack," or " Keet-Koot," or 

 " Chin-Chow " the snipe sings to his mate while she 

 sits and he flies, and it is during his early vigil that the 

 male snipe resorts to the habit of drumming, elsewhere 

 alluded to in this work. The sound is not unique in 

 bird life, as some ornithologists assert. Various birds 

 use their wings during the spring of the year for the 

 purpose of producing sound, among them being the 

 lapwing. 



But, be that as it may, the drumming of the snipe is 

 at any rate unique in its volume, and in its isolation 

 of purpose. For a century and a half past naturalists 

 have discussed this sound. Some assert that it is vocal, 

 others that it is produced by the tail feathers, the two 

 outside of which are curiously formed as though for 

 some express purpose ; others that it is produced both 

 by the tail and the flight feathers. Personally I am 

 convinced that it is produced solely and entirely by the 

 wings, and it is possible to produce a very similar sound 

 by mounting on an aeroplane the stiffened wing of a bird 

 in such a position that it reciprocates slightly while 

 borne through the air at high speeds. 



If one watches a snipe during the drumming season, 

 one will see that his method of progress is as follows : 

 he banks steadily upwards to a height of perhaps three 

 hundred feet, then he descends one hundred feet at an 

 angle of forty-five degrees, and forthwith proceeds to 

 mount again. Again he descends, and again he mounts, 

 each descent marking the drumming sound, so that it 



