THE JACK SNIPE. 235 



one approaches the nest, make a loud and ' drumming' 

 noise above the head, as if for the purpose of distracting 

 the attention of the intruder." 



The Common Snipe, according to Nilsson, first appears 

 in Scania from the 15th to 20th March. The earliest 

 comers, still in a state of moult, are males ; the females 

 appearing later. The autumnal migration commences 

 about the middle of September, and by the end of 

 October they have for the most part left the country. 

 Kjterbolling also assigns the middle of March as the time 

 of this bird's arrival in Denmark, and October as that of 

 its departure from thence. 



The Jack Snipe, or Judcock (Half-enkel Beckasin, or 

 half-single snipe ; Rdr-Sncippa, or reed-snipe, Sw. ; Smaa- 

 Bekkasin, or little snipe, Norw. ; Stum Bekkasin, or silent 

 snipe, Danish ; Scolopax Gallinula, Linn.) was very rare 

 in the Ronnum country during the summer ; and the like 

 may be said to be the case at that season in all the more 

 central and southern parts of Scandinavia ; more so, 

 possibly, however, in imagination than in reality, owing 

 to this bird lying so close in the long grass as seldom 

 to take wing unless one almost tramples on it. But 

 in the autumn, during migration, it was numerous with 

 us, and everywhere else in the south of Sweden, and 

 probably of Norway also. In Denmark, spring and fall, 

 it is common, and according to Kjrerbolling, breeds there 

 once in a time. 



It arrives in Scania towards the end of March, either 

 alone or in company with the Common Snipe, and the 

 migration continues until the middle of April. The 

 males are said to arrive first, the females not until eight 

 days afterwards. In the autumn, it is the last of the 

 Scolopax genus to leave the country, many remaining in 

 the more southern parts of Sweden until the end of 

 r or beginning of December ; and if the season 



