SNIPE. 



97 



These birds abound in the meadows and low grounds 

 along- our large rivers, particularly those that border 

 the Schuylkill and Delaware, from the 10th of March 

 to the middle of April, and sometimes later, and are 

 eagerly sought after by many of our gunners. The 

 nature of the grounds, however, which these birds 

 frequent, the coldness of the season, and peculiar 

 shyness and agility of the game, render this amusement 

 Attractive only to the most dexterous, active, and eager 

 of our sportsmen. 



The snipe is eleven inches long, and seventeen inches 

 in extent ; the bill is more than two inches and a half 

 long, fluted lengthwise, of a brown colour, and black 

 towards the tip, where it is very smooth while the bird 

 is alive, but, soon after it is killed, becomes dimpled, 

 like the end of a thimble ; crown, black, divided by an 

 irregular line of pale brown ; another broader one of 

 the same tint passes over each eye ; from the bill to the 

 eye, there is a narrow dusky line ; neck and upper part 

 of the breast, pale brown, variegated with touches of 

 white and dusky ; chin, pale ; back and scapulars, deep 

 velvety black, the latter elegantly marbled with waving 

 lines of ferruginous, and broadly edged exteriorly with 

 white ; wings, plain dusky, all the feathers, as well as 

 those of the coverts, tipt with white ; shoulder of the 

 wing, deep dusky brown, exterior quill, edged with 

 white ; tail-coverts, long, reaching within three quarters 

 of an inch of the tip, and of a pale rust colour, spotted 

 with black ; tail, rounded, deep black, ending in a bar 

 of bright ferruginous, crossed with a narrow waving 

 line of black, and tipt with whitish ; belly, pure white ; 

 sides, barred with dusky ; legs and feet, a very pale 

 ashy green ; sometimes the whole thighs and sides of 

 the vent are barred with dusky and white. 



The female differs in being more obscure in her 

 colours ; the white on the back being less pure, and the 

 black not so deep. 



VOL. III. 



