MID-APRIL 57 
The plumage of both species is much alike, 
though the feathers of the jack have the 
brighter hues. The back and wings are 
barred and mottled grey, brown, and black, 
with a touch of yellow here and there, the 
under part of the body being whitish. Their 
whole appearance is like that of the Wood- 
cock, which bird is, however, quite four 
times larger and chiefly a rich brown in 
colour. The eye in all these birds is a beau- 
tiful and marked feature, set high and well 
back in their rounded heads. The snipe 
have rich markings of yellowish-brown over 
the eyes, and stripes of the same colour are 
found on the back of the body. Many full 
snipe remain in the British Isles all the year 
round and breed, and these are generally 
found always in the same spot, but by far 
the greater number are emigrants from 
Scandinavia and come to us for the winter, 
driven south by cold. Besides the sounds 
the male utters on the wing when disturbed, 
as before mentioned, he makes a noise during 
the breeding season often called a ‘ drum- 
