192 Twelve Months With 



refers to the peculiarity of the snipe's efforts in this 

 line: 



"In the foregoing cases sounds are made by the aid 

 of structures already present and otherwise necessary; 

 but in the following cases certain feathers have been 

 specially modified for the express purpose of produc- 

 ing sounds. The drumming, bleating, neighing or 

 thundering noise (as expressed by different observers) 

 made by the common snipe (scolopax gallinago) must 

 have surprised every one who has ever heard it. This 

 bird, during the pairing season, flies to 'perhaps a thou- 

 sand feet in height' and after zigzagging about for a 

 time descends to the earth in a curved line with out- 

 spread tail and quivering pinions and surprising ve- 

 locity. The sound is emitted only during this rapid 

 descent. No one was able to explain the cause until 

 M. Meves observed that on each side of the tail the 

 outer feathers are peculiarly formed, having a stiff 

 saber-shaped shaft with the oblique barbs of unusual 

 length, the outer webs being strongly bound together. 

 He found that by blowing on these feathers, or by 

 fastening them to a long, thin stick and waving them 

 rapidly through the air, he could reproduce the drum- 

 ming noise made by the living bird."* 



As early as 1773, Gilbert White, with character- 

 istic keenness and accuracy of observation sus- 

 pected that the snipe possessed this faculty for 

 instrumental music. In "Selborne" he writes: 

 "Whether the bleating or humming is ventrilo- 

 quous, or proceeds from the motion of their wings, 



The Descent of Man, p. 427. 



