BIRDS IN THE CALENDAR 
vibrating noise, which may be produced from 
the throat as well, but is more probably made 
only by the beating of the wings. There ap- 
pears to be some divergence of opinion as to 
its origin in both birds, though in that of the 
snipe such sound authorities as Messrs. Abel 
Chapman and Halting are convinced that it 
proceeds from the quivering of the primaries, 
as the large quill-feathers of the wings are 
called. Other naturalists, however, have pre- 
ferred to associate it with the spreading tail- 
feathers. Whether these eccentric gymnastics 
are performed as displays, with a view to im- 
pressing admiring females, or whether they 
are merely the result of excitement at the 
pairing season cannot be determined. It is 
safe to assume that they aim at one or other 
of these objects, and further no one can go 
with any certainty. The word " roding " is 
spelt " reading " by Newton, who thus gives 
the preference to the Anglo-Saxon description 
of the aerial tracks followed by the bird, over 
the alternative derivation from the French 
" roder," which means to wander. The flight 
is at any rate wholly different from that to 
which the sportsman is accustomed when one 
26 
