330 " SNIPE. 



them running about among the springs and watery thickets. I was lold 

 by the inhabitants, that they generally disappeared early in the spring. 

 On the twentieth of March I found these birds extremely numerous on 

 the borders of the ponds near Louisville, Kentucky ; and also in the 

 neir^hborhood of Lexington in the same state, as late as the tenth of 

 April. I was told by several people, that they are abundant in the 

 Illinois country, up as far as Lake Michigan. They are but seldom 

 seen in Pennsylvania during the summer, but are occasionally met with 

 in considerable numbers on their return in autumn, along the whole 

 eastern side of the Alleghany, from the sea to the mountains. They 

 have the same soaring irregular flight in the air in gloomy weather as 

 the Snipe of Europe ; the same bleating note, and occasional rapid 

 descent ; spring from the marshes with the like feeble squeak ; and in 

 every respect resemble the common Snipe of Britain, except in being 

 about an inch less ; and in having sixteen feathers in the tail instead of 

 fourteen, the number said by Bewick to be in that of Europe. From 

 these circumstances, we must either conclude this to be a different 

 species, or partially changed by difference of climate ; the former 

 appears to me the more probable opinion of the two. 



These birds abound in the meadows, and low grounds, along our 

 large rivers, particularly those that border the Schuylkill and Delaware, 

 from the tenth of March to the middle of April, and sometimes later, 

 and are eagerly sought after by many of our gunners. The nature of 

 the grounds, however, which these birds frequent, the coldness of the 

 season, and peculiar shyness and agility of the game, render this 

 amusement attractive only to the most dexterous, active, and eager of 

 our sportsmen. 



The Snipe is eleven inches long, and seventeen inches in extent ; the 

 bill is more than two inches and a half long, fluted lengthwise, of a 

 brown color, and black towards the tip, where it is very smooth while 

 the bird is alive, but soon after it is killed becomes dimpled like the 

 end of a thimble ; crown black, divided by an irregular line of pale 

 brown ; another broader one of the same tint passes over each eye ; 

 from the bill to the eye there is a narrow dusky line ; neck, and upper 

 part of the breast, pale brown, variegated with touches of white and 

 dusky ; chin pale ; back and scapulars deep velvety black, the latter 

 elegantly marbled with waving lines of ferruginous, and broadly edged 

 exteriorly with white ; wings plain dusky, all the feathers, as well as 

 those of the coverts, tipped with white; shoulder of the wing deep 

 dusky brown, exterior quill edged with white ; tail-coverts long, reaching 

 within three-quarters of an inch of the tip, and of a pale rust color 

 spotted with black; tail rounded, deep black, ending in a bar of bright 

 ferruginous, crossed with a narrow waving line of black, and tipped 

 with whitish ; belly pure white ; sides barred with dusky ; legs and feet 



