348 SCOLOPACID^. 



brown at the base ; the irides dark brown ; from the base of 

 the beak to the eye, a dark brown streak ; crown of the head 

 very dark brown, with two lateral, and one central, buff- 

 coloured streaks ; back dark brown, slightly spotted with 

 pale brown ; interscapulars and scapulars dark brown in 

 the centre, with broad external, lateral margins of rich buff, 

 forming four conspicuous lines along the upper surface of 

 the body ; wing-coverts spotted with pale brown, on a ground 

 of dull black, and tipped with white ; tertials barred with 

 pale brown, on a black ground ; the primaries dull black, 

 secondaries the same, but tipped with white ; upper tail- 

 coverts barred, alternately, with pale brown, and dusky- 

 black; tail-feathers fourteen, basal-half dull black varied on 

 the margins with pale reddish-brown, on the distal-half of 

 the feather an oval patch of pale chestnut, bounded by a 

 dusky-brown band, and tipped with paler chestnut. Chin 

 brownish- white ; cheeks pale brown, ear-coverts darker ; 

 sides, and front of the neck, pale brown, spotted with darker 

 brown ; breast, belly, and vent, white ; sides and flanks 

 greyish-white barred with dusky-black ; under tail-coverts 

 pale yellow-brown barred with greyish-black ; legs and toes 

 greenish-brown. 



A Snipe shot in the first week in August, an old bird in 

 summer plumage, but with the autumn moult just com- 

 mencing, has the outer lateral margin of the interscapular, 

 and scapular feathers narrow, and almost white ; all the 

 parts of the plumage on the back and wing, which are pale 

 yellow-brown in winter, are in this bird of a rich reddish- 

 brown ; the first new interscapular feather on each side has 

 just appeared, with its usual broad, buff-coloured margin, 

 affording a striking contrast to the narrower white margins 

 of the feathers lower down on the body. 



The whole length of a Common Snipe is about ten inches 

 and a half; the length of the beak about two inches and 

 three-quarters ; from the carpal joint to the end of the first 

 quill-feather, which is the longest in the wing, five inches ; 

 the sexes are alike in plumage, but according to Gould, the 

 male is the larger. 



