GEALLATORES. 193 



to some rushes at the side of the pond, and I had 

 some little difficulty to make them rise. 



I once kept a Jack Snipe in confinement for some 

 days, and, as the bird is a very difficult one to 

 observe when on the ground in its wild state, a 

 transcript of some notes made on its movements in 

 my aviary may be interesting. 



" October 8th. — Found some Jack Snipe to-day, 

 and shot three. One of them, curiously enough, was 

 struck in the carpal joint of each wing, which caused 

 the bird to fall. It being otherwise apparently un- 

 injured, I carried it home alive in my pocket, and 

 turned it into the aviary, first shaking down some 

 straw temporarily, for cover, and putting in a supply 

 of worms and water. 



" October 9th. — Jack Snipe alive and well. Cut 

 several large sods with plenty of rushes growing on 

 them, and put them in the aviary instead of the 

 straw. Procured an old tea-tray and filled it with 

 water, strewing some gravel and sand at the bottom, 

 thus making a capital pool. Scattered some worms 

 among the rushes and in the water, and left the 

 bird in quiet. 



"October 10th. — Jack Snipe alive and active, but 

 still very shy, and will not feed while I am near. 

 Looked in later in the day, and found him still 

 squatting in the rushes. Gave him some boiled 

 liver, chopped fine, which Mr. Hancock says is a 

 fine thing for all waders in confinement, as it more 



s 



