WILSON SNIPE 93 



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winter, and spring, is it to be wondered at that the snipe have 

 decreased in numbers? 



Winter. — As mentioned above snipe spend the winters in small 

 numbers as far north as they can find unfrozen marshes and spring 

 holes, but their main winter resorts are in the Southern States, the 

 West Indies, and northern South America. They were formerly 

 enormously abundant in the marshes and savannas of Florida and 

 the other Gulf States, where they are still common in winter. C. J. 

 Pennock tells me that they are still abundant all winter about St. 

 Marks. Florida, his earliest and latest dates being September 12 

 and May 10. Arthur T. Wayne (1910) says that, in South Caro- 

 lina, the snipe " are most abundant during the months of February 

 and March, and at that time multitudes frequent the rice planta- 

 tions, provided the water is not too deep over the land." J. H. 

 Bowles (1918) says that in Washington " cold weather does not 

 seem to bother them much. On January 1, 1916, when all fresh- 

 water marshes were frozen over, large numbers of them gathered 

 on the Tacoma Flats." Mr. Skinner writes to me that in Yellowstone 

 Park they are found in winter along creeks and rivers kept open 

 by warm springs and on ground overflowed by warm water from 

 the hot springs. 



Aiken and Warren (1914) tell of the winter habits of the Wilson 

 snipe, in El Paso County, Colorado, as follows : 



Fountain Creek rarely freezes over entirely below its exit from the moun- 

 tains, and along its banks there are many places where water that runs 

 through the sand comes to the surface and forms springy holes and marshy 

 meadows which are warmer than surface water. These become the winter 

 feeding grounds for the snipe and one or a pair often content themselves with 

 a very small area of muck. But at times of severe cold many of the smaller 

 holes freeze and then the snipe concentrate at places where a larger flow of 

 water keeps the holes open. On January 15, 190S, with 6 inches of snow on the 

 ground and below zero weather Aiken visited a small beaver pond on the 

 Skinner ranch 6 miles south of Colorado Springs. A bit of marsh above the 

 pond and a short stretch of ooze along the outlet below remained open, and 

 in this small area of one-fourth of an acre were 25 to 30 snipe. Some years ago 

 a snipe was found running upon the ice when everything in the vicinity was 

 frozen solid. A few snipe winter along banks of streams in the mountains. 



That snipe know enough to protect themselves from storms may be illus- 

 trated by narrating here one of Aiken's experiences in Utah about 20 years ago. 

 He was beating a snipe marsh near one edge of which extended a narrow 

 arroyo or gully in which were some trees and bushes. The weather had been 

 fair until without warning a heavy snow storm set in. At once snipe began 

 to rise wildly from different parts of the marsh and one after another directed 

 their flight toward the same point in the arroyo and dove between its banks. 

 Upon investigation 8 or 10 snipe were found together in a little cave in the 

 side of the arroyo that was partly hidden by bushes so that they were well 

 protected from any storm. We conclude this was not the first time the snipe 

 had resorted to this friendlv shelter since they knew so well where to go. 



