COMMON SNIPE. 17 
end perhaps accelerated by mortification at the triumph of the 
railroad—but Junior lapses into a positive as well as a relative 
term, and soon, though we must not say too soon, ceases to 
be appropriate in either case. I was sitting behind him, for 
IT had not the reins that morning, and pointed out to him 
as we passed a tree by the road, a Snipe perched on one of 
the branches which was bare of leaves, it beimg winter at 
the time. If he is still living, for I have not seen him for 
some years, he will remember the fact, for he was much struck 
with it as well as myself, and I have since more than once 
reminded him of it. Those days are gone for ever— 
‘The coach of other days is faded, 
And all its glories past; 
For steam with envious cloud hath shaded. 
Its hopes too bright to last.’ 
Only last week I happened to meet at York one of the old 
mail coachmen between that city and Doncaster, Holtby, well 
known in days of yore, and heard him draw a comparison 
between the road and the rail, to the decided deprecation of 
the latter. I could not but in some measure agree with 
him:—‘If the coach overturns, and you are thrown into the 
ditch, and break your arm or your leg, there you are; but 
if there comes a smash on the railway—where are you?’ 
In running the Snipe jerks the tail, spreading it out also 
sideways. 
They feed on worms, smal] shell-fish, larve, insects, and 
vegetable substances, and a few seeds are at times also swallowed, 
but perhaps inadvertently, as well as some sand. The first- 
named are procured by boring with the long~ bill in soft ground. 
The note of the Snipe, uttered on the wing, and when 
first put up, is an abrupt pipe; Selby expresses it by the 
word ‘chissick,’ lispingly pronounced. Another sound, resembling 
a tremulous bleating or humming, is also made, but this is 
supposed to be produced by the action of the wings, for 
the bird at such times is observed to descend with great 
swiftness, and with a thrilling movement of the pinions. A 
whirring noise is produced by the bird at times when on the 
ground, and this without any apparent motion of the wings, 
as stated, after personal observation, by William Richard 
Fisher, Esq., of Yarmouth, in the ‘Zoologist,’ page 1501. 
VOL VI. Cc 
