138 PLOVER GROUP 



produced, and, furthermore, that only two feathers are the active agents 

 in producing the sound. Observation proved that these two feathers 

 were held in a particular manner in front of the others during the bird's 

 flight in the breeding-season. Feathers of both male and female were 

 found to produce the sound — a fact borne out b)' numerous observers 

 in the field. These feathers have a peculiar structure, differing 



materially from the 

 others in the tail. 

 Microscopicall}-, the\' 

 differ in the number 

 of booklets being in 

 excess of those in 

 the other feathers. 

 Sound is also pro- 

 duced b\- the tail- 

 feathers of certain 

 foreign species, but 

 this is not the case 

 with those of the 

 jack and the great 

 snipe. A cup-like 

 hollow, sparsely lined with grass, in moss, turf, or rushes serves to 

 contain the four eggs, which are usually large in proportion to the 

 bird, measuring slightly more than i^ inches in length. In ground- 

 colour they range from a gre\'ish green to stone and brownish buff, upon 

 which are spots and blotches of various shades of brown, occasionally 

 w ith a reddish tinge, and underl}-ing markings of pale grey or purple ; 

 the markings being larger at the other end, where they form a kind of cap. 



SNiri-. S 1 "AIL. 



„ ^. . From the typical representative of the group the 



ir. ,,• . \ great snipe, as imi)lied by its name, is distinguished 



(Galhnago major), f" . ** 



by Its superior size, the total length being i i 



inches, and the weight averaging from 7^ to 8 oz,, but occasionally 

 reaching as much as 10, or even slight!}- over. In addition to this, 

 it differs by having sixteen in place of fourteen tail-feathers, relative!}' 

 shorter legs, more lieavily barred under-parts, white tips to the wing- 

 coverts, and white outer tail-feathers. In immature birds, however, 

 t!ie latter have dark bars on a white ground, whereas in the common 

 snipe the ground is mottled and of a rufous tinge. In v.'inter the buff 

 edges of the feathers of the upper-parts are broader than in summer. 

 The chick is rather paler-coloured than that of the common snipe. 



