Malayan Ornithology . 13 



place is rough land^witli bushes^ small pools of water, and moist 

 places scattered here and there ; hut everywhere it will be 

 found that during the intense heat of the day the Snipe avoid 

 the open country, and seek shelter from the sun under thick 

 bushes, or in the shade of high jungle. They then lie ycrj 

 close, and when flushed rise with a listless flight, not unfre- 

 quently settling again after flying eighty or a hundred yards ; 

 but of course this is not the case in districts where they are 

 much shot at and disturbed. 



Though undoubtedly, as a rule, the Malay Snipe are not 

 so wild nor so active on the wing as is the European species, 

 still they afford excellent sport, and are by no means easy to 

 shoot, particularly during the early morning, when, revived by 

 the cool night air, they dart and twist along at a great pace ; 

 also among l)ushes it requires very quick and straight shoot- 

 ing to make any thing of a bag. 



As soon as the sun gets low they leave the covert and scatter 

 themselves all over the country in search of food ; often on 

 moonlight nights, when out in the jungle after pig, on 

 crossing open pieces of ground where, during the day, not a 

 bird could be found, I have heard Snipe rise, squeaking on 

 all sides. One most keen sportsman of my acquaintance sallied 

 forth on one of these very bright nights ; but, though the 

 Snipe swarmed, he returned without having done more than 

 frighten them, — not to be wondered at, considering how de- 

 ceptive is the light of even the most brilliant tropical moon. 

 During droughts, when the ground is parched and cracked 

 by the heat, the Snipes probe the buffalo-dung, perforating the 

 heaps with thousands of small holes in their search after the 

 worms which collect beneath. 



I think that there can be little doubt that Province Wel- 

 lesley, opposite the island of Penang, is by far the best Snipe- 

 ground in the peninsula, probably owing to its being extremely 

 flat, well watered, cleared of jungle, and perhaps to its being 

 very near the limit of the migration south. To a very great 

 extent it is covered with paddy-fields; and on the rough un- 

 cultivated laud bordering these the Snipe are extremely plen- 

 tiful, enormous numbers often being shot in a day. One 



