M. W. jNIeves on the Humming of the Snipe. 303 



This genus forms a distinct group among the Riband-shaped 

 Fislies, and is perhaps the type of a different family, which we may 

 call Nemophidce. 



April 13, 1858.— Dr. Gray, F.R.S., V.P., in the Chair. 



On the Snipe's "neighing" or humming noise, and on 

 ITS Tail-feathers' systematic value. By W. Meves, 

 OF Stockholm. Translated and communicated by 

 John Wolley, Jun., Esa., F.Z.S. 



On the origin of the neighing sound which accompanies the Common 

 Snipe's {Scolopax gallinago, L.) play — flight during pairing time — 

 opinions are various. Bechstein thought that it was produced by 

 means of the beak ; Naumann and others, again, that it originated 

 in powerful strokes of the wing : but since Pralle * in Hanover ob- 

 served that the bird makes heard its well-known song or cry, which 

 he expresses with the words " gick jack, gick jack I," at the same 

 time with the neighing sound, it seemed to be settled that the latter is 

 not produced through the throat. In the meantime I have remarked 

 with surprise, that the humming sound could never be observed 

 whilst the bird was flying upwards, at which time the tail is closed ; 

 but only when it was casting itself downwards in a slanting direction, 

 with the tail strongly spread out. 



The peculiar form of the tail-feathers in some foreign species 

 nearly allied to our Snipe (for example, 5. javensis) encouraged the 

 notion, that the tail, if not alone, at all events in a considerable de- 

 gree, conduced to the production of the sound. On a closer exa- 

 mination of the tail-feathers of our common species, I found the 

 first (outer) feather, especially, very peculiarly constructed; the shaft, 

 uncommonly stiff, sabre-shaped ; the rays of the web strongly bound 

 together and very long, the longest reaching nearly three-fourths of 

 the whole length of the web, these rays lying along (or spanning from 

 end to end of the curve of) the shaft, like the strings of a musical 

 instrument (fig. 1). On blowing from the outer side upon the 

 broad web it comes into vibration, and a sound is heard, which, though 

 fainter, very closely resembles the well-known neighing. 



But to prove clearly that it is the first feather which produces 

 the peculiar sound, it is only necessary carefully to pluck out 

 such a one, to fasten its shaft with fine thread to a piece of steel 

 wire a tenth of an inch in diameter and a foot long, and then to fix 

 this at the end of a 4-foot stick. If now the feather be drawn, with 

 its outer side forward, sharply through the air, at the same time 

 making some short movements or shakings of the arm so as to re- 

 present the shivering motion of the wings during flight, the neighing 

 sound is produced with the most astonishing exactness. 



If we wish to hear the humming of both feathers at once, as 

 must be the case from the flying bird, this also can be managed by 

 a simple contrivance. Taking a small stick, and fastening at the 



* Naumaunia. 



21* 



