CHAPTEE XVI. 



The Solitary Snipe. Geographical Range. Two Species 1 



Retired Disposition. Favourite Haunts. Aversion to \V ..... 1 

 Food. Feeds only at Night. Breeding Habits. Migration. Dish 

 for a King. Shooting at the Pairing-ground To the Pointer. 

 Capture in Nets. Diminished Numbers. 



Solitary Snipe, Double Snipe, or Great Snipe 

 (Dubbel Heckfutin, or double snipe, Sw. ; Dobbelt 

 itsin, or double snipe, Norw. ; Stor Bekkiisiti, or 

 snipe, Tredekker, or three-decker, Dan.; b'cufo/Hi.r 

 major, Ginel.), the second in order of the Scolopax genus, 

 was likewise one of our summer visitants, and bred, it \\a^ 

 believed, near to llonniun, and most assuredly so on 

 Tjurholmen, an island in the river Gotha, at no very 

 great distance from the town of Gothenburg ; for only 

 last year an acquaintance of mine took its nest there. It 

 also breeds, though very locally as it would seem, through- 

 out a large portion of Scandinavia. As regards Sweden, it 

 is much more abundant in the central provinces, especially 

 in Upland, which would appear to bo its head-quarters, 

 than in the more southern or northern. Its limits 

 to the north do imt -mn t be well ascertained ; but 



