Habits and Habitat of Snipe. 1 6 7 



life is spent amongst our game birds, remarks 

 disclosing a belief that the luminary has 

 powers affecting the migration of birds to 

 these shores, very similar to those it possesses 

 over the tides of the ocean. The idea is not 

 unnatural, for the comings and goings of our 

 migratory game must seem mysterious enough 

 to the unscientific to warrant any number of 

 fantastic theories about their allegiance to the 

 Oueen of the Nio^ht. 



But the truth, though less romantic, is more 

 intelligible. Birds are strict utilitarians, and 

 see no reason for blundering about in the 

 dark when at certain seasons a great lamp 

 arises to guide them to their objective. In 

 the case of migration, however, it does oc- 

 casionally happen that a considerable arrival 

 of birds may occur on the darkest of nights. 

 I expect that the explanation of this is to be 

 found in the rapid changes of the appearance 

 of the skies in Great Britain, from moonlit 

 brilliance one night to gloom the next. I do 

 not believe that birds would start on their 

 voyage across the sea if they foresaw that 



