446 SCOLOPACID^. 



large flocks of these birds arrive in the marshy districts of 

 England, stopping sometimes for a short time only, and 

 then proceeding onwards ; but being, like many other birds, 

 gregarious at no other time than when making their migra- 

 tions, when they have arrived at a district where they 

 intend to take up their residence, they scatter themselves 

 over marsh land, remaining in each other's neighbourhood 

 perhaps, but showing no tendency to flock together. Their 

 food consists of the creeping things which live in mud, 

 and to this, it is said by some, they add small seeds and 

 line vegetable fibre ; but it is questionable whether this 

 kind of food is not swallowed by accident, mixed up with 

 more nourishing diet. The end of their beak is furnished 

 with a soft pulpy membrane, which in all probability is 

 highly sensitive, and enables the bird to discover by the 

 touch the worms which, being buried in mud, are concealed 

 from its sight. Snipes when disturbed always fly against 

 the wind, so when suddenly scared from their feeding- 

 ground, and compelled to rise without any previous inten- 

 tion on their part, they seem at first uncertain which 

 course to take, but twist and turn without making much 

 progress in any direction ; but in a few seconds, having 

 decided on their movements, they dart away with great 

 rapidity, uttering at the same time a sharp cry of two 

 notes, which is difficult to describe, but once heard can 

 scarcely be mistaken. When a bird on such an occasion 

 is fired at, it often happens that a number of others, 

 who have been similarly occupied, rise at the report, and 

 after having performed a few mazy evolutions, dart off in 

 the way described. At other times they lie so close that 

 between the sportsman and the bird which he has just 

 killed there may be others concealed, either unconscious 

 of danger, or trusting for security to their powers of lying 

 hid. This tendency to lie close, or the reverse, depends 

 much on the weather, though why it should be so seems 

 not to have been decided. But the movements of Snipes 



