Snipe. 43 



ously enough, though snipe abound all over 

 the globe, this beautiful melanlstic variety 

 has seldom (never, I believe, properly authen- 

 ticated) been observed outside these Islands. 

 It differs in no respect from the ordinary bird 

 save in colour, which is very dark brown, 

 barred with black, without a trace of white 

 either on the breast or elsewhere. 



The white bird has occurred so excessively 

 seldom that there may be something in the 

 old Mohammedan legend that in that guise 

 the souls of the departed just await admission 

 to Paradise ! 



The Jack-Snipe, though far from being a 

 rare bird, Is much more local in its distribution 

 than its larger relative. In many parts where 

 the latter abound it Is regarded as quite a 

 rarity, whilst, on the other hand, I know of 

 places in the British Islands where the propor- 

 tion of Jacks to Full-Snipe is not less than as 

 two to three. Your bag of Jacks, however, 

 after many years of snipe-shooting in all parts 

 of Great Britain, will probably average a fifth 

 or even less, of the whole. 



