migratory habits : and the periods of its ariival in, and departure 

 from, Nip^l, correspond altogether with the seasons of its appearance 

 and disappearance in England. 



He then proceeds to describe in detail the several kinds of Šnipe 

 which occur in Nipal. 



Two of these are so nearly related to the common Šnipe of Europe, 

 Gallinago media, Ray, that Mr. Hodgson is induced to regard them 

 as being probably speciiically identical \vith that bird : and he ac- 

 cordingly refers them to it as varieties, which are constantly distin- 

 guished from each other by the structure of the tail. In one of them 

 the tail-feathers are fourteen or sixteen in number, and are all of 

 the šame form : in the other the tail-feathers vary in number from 

 twenty-two to lwenty-eight ; and the outer ones on either side, to 

 the number of six, eight, or ten, differ remarkably from those of the 

 middle, being narro\v, hard, and acuminated. The latter bird may, 

 however, be regarded as the representative of a species to which the 

 name of Gali. heterura may be given. 



The other two Šnipes of Nipal are unquestionably distinct from 

 those of Europe. They are described as the soUtary Šnipe, Gali. so- 

 litaria, Hodgs., and the icood Šnipe, Gali. nemoricola, Ej. 



In the solitary Šnipe the wings are remarkably long ; the upper 

 surface, especiallj' on the mngs, is minutely dotted, barred, and 

 streaked, with white interraingled with buiF and brown ; and the ab- 

 domen is white, barred along the flanks with brown. 



The wood Šnipe has the general colouring of the plumage dark 

 and sombre ; the wings short ; the abdomen and the w-hole of the 

 under surface thickly barred with transverse lines of dark brown on 

 a dusky white ground ; and a tail of sixteen or eighteen, or very 

 rarely twenty, feathers. 



Mr. Hodgson describes, with the greatest minuteness, each of 

 these birds, and adverts ^vith the fuUest detail to their several habits 

 and distinguishing peculiaiities, as weU of marmers and of seasons 

 as of form and plumage. 



