THE PAINTED SNIPE 



THE PAINTED SNIPE (Rynchcea Capensis) 



This species, which is wrongly termed a snipe 

 only on account of its inhabiting the same ground, 

 and being somewhat of the same size as, and shape 

 of the common snipe, remains and breeds in India. 

 It is a very beautiful bird of truly tropical richness 

 of hue. The female is larger than the male, and 

 far more brilliantly plumed, the lovely dark green 

 hue of the back and wing coverts being strikingly 

 relieved by the rich chestnut-coloured spots in the 

 wing feathers. In flight this bird is slow, and, 

 flapping along like an owl, is often missed when 

 it rises before a man who has been making good 

 practice at the far more rapidly flying species. I 

 have shot it in Assam and Sylhet, in Mysore, near 

 Madras, and in the Madura district, but I have 

 never found it common anywhere, though a large 

 bag of snipe of all sorts has usually contained from 

 one or two, up to half a dozen " painters." 



Hume gives the weight limits of this species as 

 males, 3^ to nearly 5 oz. ; females, 4f to nearly 

 6 oz. 



The painted snipe is found over most of India 

 except the Himalayas, but it is rare in many parts. 



The breeding season is August and September. 

 It is, in my opinion, a very good bird when cooked, 

 though it has been disparaged in this respect by 

 others. 



The only other species of snipe which deserve 

 mention are the Wood and Solitary snipes, and 

 they are too rare to merit any special notice. 



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