The Snipes. 447 



Estate, Nellakotta, Nilgiris, was fortunate 

 enough to shoot this species recently in 

 Southern India, thus extending its range 

 most unexpectedly. In the Asian of 

 February 8th, 1898, he wrote: — "Some 

 little time back, when shooting near 

 Devala, S.-E. Wynaad, with Mr. W. 

 Hamilton, we bagged a good specimen of 

 the Himalayan Solitary Snipe (Gallifiago 

 solitaria). I say 'we' advisedly, as the 

 prize was only discovered amongst our 

 bag after the day's shoot was over, and 

 I do not therefore know to whose gun it 

 fell." 



The Solitary Snipe, which has been 

 divided into several subspecies without 

 any good grounds, occurs in Eastern 

 Siberia, Japan, China, and a considerable 

 portion of Central Asia, as far as Western 

 Turkestan. It appears to be chiefly a 

 vertical migrant, changing elevation 

 according to season and making short 

 excursions into the neighbouring plains. 

 It breeds in the mountains of Western 

 China, and there is no reason why this 

 species should not be found commonly 

 in parts of Upper Burma and the Shan 

 States. 



Dr. Scully says : — " The Solitary Snipe 

 is not uncommon in the valley of Nepal 



