104 GAME-BIKDS Vl' INDIA 



GALLINAGO MEGALA. 

 SWINHOE'S SNIPE. 



Gallinago megala, Swinhoe, Ibis, 1861; Legge, B. of Ceij. p. 817 ; Oatcs, 

 Game-B. ii, p. 475; Sharpe, Gat. B.M. xxiv, p. 624; id. Hand-L. 

 vol. i, p. 165 ; Dresser, Bull. B. 0. U. No. 25, p. 39 : Indicm Field, 

 8th October, 5th, 12th, and 16th November, 1903; Harington, 

 Rangoon Gazette, 19.6.11 ; Stuart Baker, J. B. N. H. S. xx, p. 595 ; 

 Venning, ibid, xxi, p. 269 ; C. Gioijer, ibid, xxii, p. 804 ; Blocch, 

 ibid, xxiii, p. 778. 



Scolopax megala, Seebohm, Charadriidae, p. 479. 



Description. Adult Male. — Swinhoe's Snipe is in colouration indis- 

 tinguishable from the Pintail Snipe, but can always be identified by 

 an examination of the tail. This in Swinhoe's Snipe contains only 

 twenty feathers, whereas the Pintail Snipe normally has twenty-six 

 tail feathers and practically never less than twenty-two. Even, how- 

 ever, when the tail is imperfect, discrimination is easy, for whereas 

 the outer tail feathers of the Pintail are hardly broader than a pin, 

 those of Swinhoe's Snipe are never under 0'2 inches. Again the 

 Pintail has eight or ten of the central feathers non-attenuated, whereas 

 Swinhoe's has only the six central ones showing no attenuation. 

 The white tips to the tail feathers are more conspicuous than in the 

 Pintail Snipe. 



Colours of Soft Parts. — "Bill light yellowish-brown for the basal 

 two-thirds, yellower on the base of the upper mandible, blackish- 

 brown on the apical third ; feet light yellowish-grey, with blackish- 

 brown claws : iris dark amber brown." [Swinhoe.) 



Measurements. — " Total length 9'5 inches, culmen '2'3, wing S'l, 

 tail 2'15, tarsus IBS," (Sharpe.) 



Two adults in the Calcutta Museum from Foochow have wings 

 of 5"42 and 5'45 inches ( = 137"6 and 138'4 mm.), respectively. 



Adult Female. — Similar to the male, but rather larger, " legs and 

 feet pale bluish-grey, nails black" (A. E. Everett). A bird sent me 

 from the Shan States has the legs rather bright yellowish-grey. 

 The wing measures 5'64 inches ( = 143'2 mm.) and the skin is 

 almost certainly that of a female. 



