238 BRITISH BIRDS. 



one, extending in summer from Scandinavia to the valley of the Yenesay, 

 but in winter confined to the basin of the Mediterranean and the continent 

 of Africa. The Great Snipe is not even known to pass through Turkestan 

 on migration. It breeds in suitable localities throughout the basin of the 

 Baltic, and in Scandinavia as far north as lat. 70. In the valleys of the 

 Petchora and the Obb it ranges up to lat. 67^ ; but in the valley of the 

 Yenesay it does not go further north than lat. 66^. There is no satis- 

 factory evidence that it has ever occurred near Lake Baikal or in the 

 valley of the Amoor. It passes through the Caucasus and North Persia 

 on migration, and winters in suitable localities throughout South Africa, a 

 few remaining in the basin of the Mediterranean. It crosses the Straits of 

 Gibraltar, though not in great numbers, in spring and autumn; but in 

 Malta it is said only to occur on the spring migration. 



In East Siberia the Great Snipe is represented by a somewhat smaller 

 species, Scolopax megala, which passes through China, Formosa, and the 

 Philippines on migration, to winter in the islands of the Malay archi- 

 pelago. A somewhat larger species, S. australis, breeds in Japan and 

 winters in Australia*, and most probably passes the islands of the Malay 

 archipelago on migration. Both these species almost exactly resemble 

 the Great Snipe, except in the colour and shape of many of their outer 

 tail-feathers, which are narrow and banded with brown instead of being 

 broad and pure white for at least the terminal half. 



The Great Snipe crosses the Mediterranean on its spring migration 

 earlier in the east than in the west, appearing on the Ionian Islands late 

 in March, but only arriving at Malta and Gibraltar late in April. It 

 passes through North Germany during May, the earliest arrivals at its 

 breeding- grounds in South Scandinavia being about the middle of that 

 month. Both in the valleys of the Petchora and the Yenesay it was one 

 of the last birds to reach the Arctic circle in the former locality arriving 

 on the 3rd of June, and in the latter on the llth of that month. It 

 migrates at night, singly or in pairs, but, so far as is known, not in flocks. 

 In the pairing-season the males are gregarious, and have a sort of " lek " 

 like that of the Ruff or of many species of Grouse. Late one evening, as 

 Harvie-Brown and I were drifting down the Petchora, we came upon a large 

 party of these birds, making curious noises with their bills, in the long grass 

 on the banks of the river. Sometimes as many as half a dozen were on the 

 wing at once, but their flights were very short, and we succeeded in shoot- 

 ing ten of them, which all proved to be males. I saw the same remark- 



* Mr. A. J. Campbell, in his ' Nests and Eggs of Australian Birds,' p. 57, describes eggs 

 alleged to be of this species taken in' Australia. No particulars are given as to their 

 identification, and there can be little doubt that they are the eggs of some other bird, 

 probably of one of the Plovers. In the same book (p. 55) is a description of the egg of 

 the Curlew Sandpiper, an egg which is absolutely unknown to any European oologist. 



