GALLINAGO. 607 



Gegend Von Wittenberg p. 58. Gallinago gallinaria (Gm.), Cripps, Sir. F. 

 vii. p. 302; Hume, Str. F. viii. p. 112; Bingham, Sir. F. viii. p. 112. 

 Gallinago coelestis, Dresser, B. Eur. vii. p. 641, pi. ; Hume and Marsh. , Game 

 Birds iii. p. 359 ; Oates, B. Br. Burmah, p. 381. The COMMON SNIPE. 



Crown of the head black, with a mesiial longitudinal white, yellowish, 

 or rusty white line ; a superciliary on each side from the base of the 

 upper mandible of the same colour, and a dark streak below it to the 

 eye ; sides of the head spotted with dusky grey, tinged ferruginous brown ; 

 chin and throat white, or nearly white ; neck on the sides and in front 

 yellowish white, spotted with brown ; breast white, brown, pale yellowish or 

 ferruginous on the upper part, and spotted with dusky ; the sides greyish 

 white, barred with dark brown ; back and scapulars velvetty black, the feathers 

 broadly edged with yellow, and barred and spotted with chestnut brown ; the 

 yellow edges to the feathers forming four conspicuous lines on the back ; upper 

 tail coverts barred with alternate bars of dusky black and pale yellowish brown, 

 somewhat rufescent ; the under tail coverts pale yellowish fawn, also barred 

 with dusky or dark brown ; the middle of the abdomen is white, in some 

 specimens tinged with pale buffy fawn ; auxiliaries and flanks white, barred with 

 dusky or dark brown, but not so broadly, close and numerous as in Stenura; 

 under wing lining white, a few bars only on the edge of the wing ; a white 

 patch always conspicuous in the centre of the wing j greater and lesser wing 

 coverts dusky or dark brown, barred with rufescent, and edged and tipped with 

 pale white or cream colour ; primaries dusky or dark brown, the first with its 

 outer web ivhite ; secondaries dusky or dark brown, broadly tipped with white ; 

 the outer edges of their inner webs white, and treated with dusky; the inner 

 webs of the primaries also whitish basally and mottled minutely with dusky ; 

 tertiaries rufescent, barred with dark brown ; tail black at the base, with an 

 oval patch of rusty orange or ferruginous, then a subterminal narrow band, and 

 tipped with buffy or pale reddish yellow, in "some specimens white ; legs pale 

 green ; bill terminally for one-third or more of its length deep brown, the rest 

 basally horny brown with a green and yellowish tinge ; its length from gape, 

 of males 2-39 to 27 ; at front 2 43 to 275 ; of females 2-62 to 3*0 at front, 

 rather flat at the tip. 



Length^ Male. 910 1 1 inches; wing 4-9 to 5*5 ; tail 2*5 to 2'8. Females 

 larger. 



Eab. Throughout India and Burmah as a winter visitant, also Persia, 

 Beloochistan and Afghanistan. Arrives in Sind about the beginning of 

 September and leaves in April, and with the Jack Snipe is tolerably abundant 

 everywhere. It is a very vigilant bird, and in consequence difficult to shoot, 

 especially in bogs and moist localities where rushes are present. In such 

 retreats, three, four or half-a-dozen may be seen at a time, walking leisurely, 

 with head erect, and constantly on the alert ; and at the first note of alarm, 



