GALLINAGO NIC4RIPENNLS. 



ETHIOPIAN SNIPE. 



(Plate 14.) 



Gallinago nigripennis, Bonaparte, Icon. Faun. Ital., Ucc. PL, 43, 

 p. 41 (1832) ; Sharpe's eel. Layard Birds of S. Afr., p. G7C 

 (1875-84) ; Nicolls & Eglington, Sportsman in S. Afr., p. 130 

 (1892); Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xxiv, p. 631 (1890); 

 Woodward, Natal Birds, p. 188 (1899) ; Reichenow, Vogel Afrikas, 

 I, p. 236 (1900-01) ; Sclater, Ann. S. Afr. Mus., iir, p. 361 (1905) ; 

 Sclater & Stark, Birds of S. Afr., iv, p. 416 (1900). 



Local Names. " Black-quilled Snipe " of some authors ; " Spook- 

 vogel " of the Dutch ; " Kue-Kue Lemao " of the Basutos 

 (Murray). 



Description. The bird figured is a male. The female resembles 

 the male. Length about 11 in. 



Tills bird is frequently confused with the Great Snipe, but it 

 can be easily recognised, as it has the outer tail-feathers white, 

 with obsolete spots or bars on them, while the three outer tail- 

 feathers of G. media are pure wliite without spots. 



Distribution. The Ethiopiain Snipe is confined to Africa and 

 extends from Abyssinia through East and Central Africa and 

 Nyasaland to the Cape Colony ; it has apparently not been met 

 with in West Africa except in Angola. 



This is the common Snipe of South Africa and is by no 

 means rare in suitable localities. Furthermore, once a 

 marsh tenanted by Snipe is found, it is nearly always 

 inhabited, for, as soon as the original tenants are killed, 

 fresh birds make their appearance and fill up the vacant 

 quarters. This bird is resident in South Africa, but like 

 the ducks and other water-fowl it is a partial migrant if its 

 haunts become affected by drought, and heavy rains will 

 bring it to places where it was unknown before. 



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