A HAND-LIST OF BRITISH BIRDS. 189 



passage in Russia, Hungary, and Austria, and occasionally further 

 west ; four times in Germany, once Heligoland, twice Belgium, three 

 times Holland, once at least in north France. 



GALLINAGO MEDIA* 



408. Galhnago media (Lath.)— THE GREAT SNIPE. 



ScoLOPAX MEDIA Latham, Gen. Syn. Suppl., t, p. 292 (1787 — Lancashire, 



England). 



Gallinago major (Gmehn), Yarrell, iii, p. 336 ; Saunders, p. 57 L 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Rare passage-migrant. Probably 

 annual autumn (Aug.-Oct.) in small numbers east and south England, 

 vagrant elsewhere ; over thirty Scotland and fourteen Ireland. Very 

 rare indeed in spring. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeds in Scandinavia, north Russia 

 and west Siberia, as far south as Denmark, and some parts of north 

 Germany. On migration passes through Europe and westernmost 

 Asia (Caucasus, Persia), and winters in Africa from north Africa to 

 south Africa feast Cape Colony and Natal). Said to be accidental 

 in Canada. 



GALLINAGO GALLINAGO 



409. Gallinago gallinago gallinago (L.) — THE COMMON 



SNIPE. 



ScoLOPAX Gallinago Lmn»us, Syst. Xat., ed. x, i, p. 147 (1758 — Europe. 



Restricted typical locality : Sweden). 



Gallinago scolopacina Gould, B. Great Britain, iv, pi. 79. 



Gallinago coalestis (Frenzel), Yarrell, iii, p. 342 ; Savmders, p. 573. 



Distribution. — British Isles. — Resident, passage -mi grant, and 

 winter-visitor. Breeds locally suitable places throughout but in 

 some southern English counties rarefy. A proportion of our breeding 

 birds appear to emigrate. Abundant winter-visitor (Oct. -March). 

 Weather greatly influences its movements, but regular arrivals on 

 Sussex coast in April point to passage-movements. 



Distribution. — Abroad. — Breeds in Iceland, Faeroes, north and 

 temperate Europe to north Italy and south Russia, and in north Asia 

 south of lat. 70° north to high plateaus of central Asia. Winters 

 from British Isles to east Atlantic isles and north Africa, as far as 

 Senegambia and Aden, Persia, India, Ceylon, Andaman Islands, 

 Burmah, Malay Peninsula, China, Japan, Formosa, Batjan (see 

 Cat. B. Brit. Mus., xxiv, p. 641, perhaps an error, or very accidental 

 occurrence), and Philippine Islands. Recorded also from Greenland 



* Latham's name has two years priority over Gmelin's of 1789, and it is 

 strange that this has been overlooked for so many years, although it was used 

 by Meyer and Wolf, Schinz, Vieillot, Naumann, and others. — E.H. 



