CATALOGUE OF BIRDS. 153 



cleaning out and loading the gun, the men had carried 

 the rods down to the punts when they had gone to see 

 that all was snug for the night, and consequently had 

 no means at hand for drawing the charge; so, placing a 

 cap on the nipple, they had steadied the butt on the 

 hricks of the yard, and holding the muzzle in the air, 

 had fired the charge, with the result described. On 

 subsequent inquiry I found out that " John," who had 

 rather a spite against the landlady (as that stern 

 matron had reprimanded him for some unbecoming 

 levity she had detected between him and one of the 

 damsels of her establishment) had done it in hopes 

 of giving her a fright, without having bestowed a, 

 thought on the panes of glass that would be blown in 

 by the concussion, and naturally fell to my share to* 

 pay for. 



This is one of the few birds that I have seen in the 

 act of striking the wires of the telegraph. While the 

 train was entering the station at Tain, in Ross -shire, 

 one evening in March, 1869, I noticed a snipe spring 

 from the side of the line, and, rising straight in the air, 

 come in contact with the wire, and immediately fall dis- 

 abled to the ground. As I was returning from shoot- 

 ing in the neighbourhood I had my gun with me, and 

 on proceeding to the spot I bagged, in the few minutes- 

 of daylight that were left, four and a half couple of 

 Snipe and an immature Golden Eye. The greater part 

 of the birds rose from a small brick drain of water that 

 ran from the station, two or three escaping through fly- 

 ing off in line with the telegraph wires, as I was afraid 

 to fire lest some damage (the station-master being 

 present) might be laid to my charge. 



The specimens in the case were obtained in Pevensey 



