2i6 Allen's naturalists library. 



Adult Female. — Similar to the male. Total length, 11-5 inches; 

 culmen, 3*0; wing, 5'i ; tail, 2*2 ; tarsus, i'35. 



Young. — Differs from the adult in being more rufous, esi)cci- 

 ally on the throat and neck. The black markings of the back 

 are more broken up and mottled with rufous bars, and the pale 

 outer bands along the scapulars are not so wide. Mr. Seebohm 

 states that young Snipe may be recognised by not having a dark 

 shaft-line on the light tips of the upper wing-coverts, but I have 

 found indications of the latter in quite young birds. 



Many ornithologists have supposed that there is a second and 

 more rufous species of Snipe found in England, but I believe 

 that the differences are merely individual, and, in the majority 

 of specimens, the rufous colour is due to imma'.urity. The 

 curious form known as Sabine's Snipe is apparently only 

 a melanism. It has been found chiefly in Ireland, and Mr. 

 Barrett-Hamilton has written a very interesting paper on the 

 subject in the Irish Naturalist ^ox January, 1895. From this 

 it appears that out of about fifty-five examples of " Sabine's 

 Snipe " in collections, no fewer than thirty-one have been ob- 

 tained in Ireland, twenty-two in England, one in Scotland, 

 while the form has only once been found on the continent of 

 Europe. 



Characters. — The distinguishing features between the present 

 species and the Great Snipe have been detailed under the head- 

 ing of the latter bird. 



Range in Great Britain. — The Common Snipe is a plentiful 

 migrant to all parts of the United Kingdom in autumn. It 

 breeds in suitable localities in all three kingdoms^ and in the 

 north at considerable elevations. 



Eange outside the British Islands. — The present species breeds 

 throughout the northern and temperate parts of Europe, but is 

 rarely met with north of 70° N. lat. ; while eastwards, it extends 

 to Turkestan and East Mongolia, where a certain number remain 

 to breed. Its southern breeding-range in Europe is said to 

 be the marshes of Northern Italy. It is resident in Iceland 

 and the Fseroe Islands, and is said to have occurred in South 

 Greenland. In winter it visits China and Formosa, and the 

 Philippine Islands, as well as the Indian Peninsula, Ceylon, and 

 the Burmese countries. At this season of the year it is also 



