COMMON SNIPE, 225 



Its food is similar to that o£ the Woodcock. Its usual 

 call-note when flushed resembles the word " scape," two or 

 three times repeated, and is never heard at any other time. 

 Mr. Booth, however, states that it has a call-note in the 

 breeding-season, consisting of two notes. When the young 

 corn is come up in the spring, this bird is often caught in 

 the wet furi'ows, in horsehair nooses, like those used for 

 taking Woodcocks. The singular sound heard when the 

 Snipe is descending is now satisfactorily ascertained to be 

 caused by the vibration of its wings and tail. 



The Snipe, when first started, goes off nearly close to the 

 ground, with many twistings, then flying round in large 

 circles, suddenly drops like a stone into the marsh, if it does 

 not leave it altogether. 



In very severe frosts the Snipe leaves the inland bogs and 

 betakes itself to the salt-marshes, where, although it is at 

 other times the best of birds for the table, the flesh becomes 

 rank and unpalatable. In this country it is rarely seen but 

 on the ground or on the wing, though I have more than 

 once observed it on the top of a larch, and two or three times 

 on a rail. In the northern regions it has often been seen on 

 trees. 



Of the variety known as Sabine's Snipe, which is now 

 admitted to be merely a melanism of the Common Snipe, 

 only a single example seems to have been obtained in Sussex, 

 viz. that which is mentioned by Mr. Knox in his O. R. 

 p. 236. I heard of this bird and told Mr. Knox, who went 

 to Chichester and bought it. It was shot by one Sergeant 

 Carter, who informed me by letter that he found it on 

 Appledram Common, where it rose out of shot, and marking 

 it down, it again rose at a long distance, when he killed it, 

 and sold it for five shillings to a Mr. Andrews, who refused 

 three pounds for it. He afterwards had it stufled by Mr. 

 Smith of Chichester, who sold it to Mr. Knox for five pounds. 



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