28 BROWN SNIPE. 
table. They frequent sand-baxs, mud-lines, and mud-flats by 
the sea-side. 
On being disturbed they generally rise high in the air, 
and make several circuitous manceuvres before they descend, 
wheeling, coursing, and doubling about, then shootig high in 
the air, and there separating in various bodies. 
They feed on marine worms and small shell-fish. 
They utter, says Wilson, a loud howling whistle. 
In singularity of appearance, this Snipe, curious as are our 
other species, seems to be ‘facile princeps.’ Male; weight, three 
ounces and a quarter; length, from ten to eleven inches; bill, 
dark reddish brown, darker towards the point, at the base 
deep greenish grey; between it and the eye is a dusky streak, 
which in winter is white. Iris, dark reddish brown; above it 
runs a white line tinged with reddish brown. Head on the 
sides and crown, neck on the back and nape, pale chesnut brown 
streaked with black, in winter light greyish brown varied with 
darker brown and dusky black; the sides of the head white; 
neck on the sides and in front, reddish chesnut spotted and 
barred with black, in winter grey tinged with brown; chin, 
in winter, white; throat and breast, pale reddish chesnut, 
spotted and barred with black, in winter grey tinged with 
yellowish brown, below white; back on the upper part, nearly 
black, the feathers beautifully edged and streaked with bright 
yellowish chesnut; in winter the black colour changes to grey 
brown, and the grey to white; below it is white, barred aeross 
with black; in winter it is nearly white. 
The wings have the first quill feather the longest; greater 
and lesser wing coverts, dusky greyish brown; in the winter 
dusky and white, the former with paler edges, and slightly 
tipped with white; primaries, dusky greyish brown; in winter 
dusky, the shaft of the first white; secondaries, dusky brown, 
in winter edged and tipped with white; tertiaries, edged and 
streaked obliquely with bright yellowish chesnut, in winter 
greyish brown, darkest towards the end, margined with greyish 
buff white; greater and lesser under wing coverts, white, 
prettily marked with angular dusky streaks. The tail is of 
twelve feathers, crossed alternately with bars of black and 
white, those of the former colour the broadest; in summer 
it is tinged with rufous, the two middle feathers are rather 
the longest; upper tail coverts, white, spotted with black, 
in summer with a rufous tinge; under tail coverts, white 
tinged with red and spotted with black; in winter the white 
