io8 



AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



HABITS. 



This species is a very handsome 

 bird. He is one of the largest of 

 the plover family. His very light 

 plumage makes him a most con- 

 spicuous bird, and also gives him 

 the name of "White Snipe" and be- 

 canse of the color of his legs he is 

 frequently known as "Blue Stock- 

 ings." His webbed feet are small 

 for so large a bird, and his long up- 

 curved bill would cause the impres- 

 sion upon first sight that Nature 

 had made a mistake and got it up- 

 side down. They are seen in quite 

 large flocks, and present a fine ap- 

 pearance as they run daintily along 

 the wet sand near the water's edge. 



Hardly a moment but what one 

 of the number is extending his 

 handsomely marked wings in the 

 bright sunlight. They appear to 

 be very happy in their mode of 

 living, and are continually utter- 



ing a clear pleasant sounding whis- 

 tle. The reason for their peculiar 

 shaped bill appears when you see 

 them on a mud flat feeding. Their 

 food is mainly insects, worms, and 

 small crustaceans. With a side- 

 wise motion he scoops his bill along 

 the surface of the mud and secures 

 the food he seeks. When feeding 

 they will wade out until the water 

 reaches their belly, and frequently 

 venture farther for they are very 

 graceful swimmers. They are very 

 dexterous also in catching the small 

 insects which hover over the water. 

 They are not shy birds, that is un- 

 less they are hunted persistently. 

 They show signs of great distress if 

 their breeding grounds are invaded. 

 Then they mount into the air and, 

 uttering a harsh whistle, wheel 

 about you with their long legs hang- 

 ing out behind to balance their neck. 



