Birds of Britain 



ally by placing these feathers on a cork and rapidly whirling 

 them round with a piece of string. During the breeding 

 season it utters also a loud vocal " chip, chip," when on the 

 ground, while when suddenly flushed the alarm-note of 

 " scape, scape " is well known. Its flight is very rapid and 

 direct when once on the wing, but on first rising it flies in 

 short zig-zags, offering a very difficult shot. Sometimes, 

 however, it will " squat " on the approach of danger, and even 

 on a bare patch of mud becomes almost invisible, so well do 

 its colours harmonise. 



Its method of " squatting " is rather peculiar, for it puts 

 its beak down and its body and tail well in the air and 

 generally pressed up against some growing vegetation. In 

 this position the two light dorsal stripes appear like blades 

 of grass, and all trace of the contour and shape of the bird 

 is lost. 



The sexes are alike in plumage. The general colour 

 above is dark brown, with a light buff stripe across the 

 crown and two stripes of a similar colour down the back, 

 which is also mottled with huffish. Cheeks and chin are 

 white, flecked with dark brown ; chest and flanks ash brown ; 

 rest of under parts white. The young resemble their 

 parents. Length 10'75 in.; bill 2*5 in.; wing 5 in. 



There is a dark variety of this bird, known as Sabine's 

 Snipe, which is occasionally met with, especially in Ireland. 

 It has the whole of the under parts ash brown, barred with 

 black, and the light stripes on the back are absent. Inter- 

 mediates between the normal and the true Sabines are not 

 uncommon. 



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