COMMON SNIPE. 317 



for instance in Scolopax javensis, encouraged the notion 

 that the tail, if not the only cause, is in a considerable 

 degree concerned in the production of the sound. On 

 a closer examination of the tail feathers of our common 

 species, I found the first outer feather, especially, very 

 peculiarly constructed ; the shaft uncommonly stiff and 

 sabre shaped ; the rays of the webs strongly bound 

 together and very long, the longest reaching very nearly 

 three-fourths of the whole length of the web, their rays 

 lying along or spanning from end to end of the curve 

 of the shaft like the strings of a musical instrument. 

 If we blow from the outer side upon the broad web it 

 immediately vibrates, and the sound is heard, which, 

 although not so loud, resembles very exactly the well 

 known neighing. In order to convince myself fully 

 that it was the first feather which produced the peculiar 

 sound, it was only necessary for me carefully to pluck 

 out such a feather, fasten its shaft with fine thread to 

 a piece of steel wire a tenth of an inch in diameter 

 and a foot long, and then to fix this at the end of a 

 four foot stick. If now I drew the feather, with its 

 outer side forwards, sharply through the air, at the 

 same time making some short movements or shaking 

 of the arm, so as to represent the shivering motion of 

 the wings during flight, the neighing sound was pro- 

 duced with the most astonishing exactness. If I wished 

 to hear the humming of both feathers at once, as must 

 be the case in the flying bird, I found this also could 

 be managed by a simple contrivance. I take a small 

 stick and fasten to the side of the smaller end, a piece 

 of burnt steel wire in the form of a fork ; then I bind 

 to each point a side tail feather ; then bend the wire so 

 that the feathers receive the same direction which they 

 do in the spreading of the tail as the bird descends 

 in flight; and then with this apparatus, I draw the 

 feathers through the air as before. Such a sound, but 



