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 
pecuharly 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 
