Minor British Game Biras. 155 



our shores. These mostly come from Scandi- 

 navia, and soon after their arrival may be seen 

 dispersing themselves over the marshes in search 

 of food. At this time they are exceedingly 

 wary, and the alarm-note of a single bird will 

 put every one up from the marsh. The startled 

 cry of the snipe resembles the syllables "scape, 

 scape," which is often a literal translation of what 

 takes place before the gunner. The bird feeds 

 on plashy meadows, wet moors, by tarns and 

 stream sides, and on mosses which margin the 

 coast. And this being so it is one of the first to 

 be affected by severe weather. If on elevated 

 ground when the frost sets in it immediately be- 

 takes itself to the lowlands, and when supplies 

 fail here it soon starves, becoming thin and 

 skeleton -like. Under ordinary circumstances 

 the bird is a ravenous feeder, lays on a thick 

 layer of fat, and is certainly a delicacy. Soon 

 after the turn of the year snipe show an inclina- 

 tion to pair, one of them circling high in the air, 

 and flying round and round over their future 

 nesting site. It is now that they produce a 

 peculiar drumming noise, caused as some say by 

 the rapid action of the wings when making a 

 downward swoop ; while others assert that the 

 noise is produced by the stiif tail feathers ; others 

 again that it is uttered by the bird itself. This 

 " bleating" much resembles the booming of a 

 large bee, and has given to the bird several ex- 



