THE COMMON SNIPE 



mesial line are pale buff ; the quills are brown, the 

 secondaries having broad tips of white ; the tail is 

 chestnut mottled with black, and the same colour at the 

 base ; the under parts are white suffused with buff, 

 barred with chestnut and brown on the neck, breast, 

 and flanks. Bill dark brown, paler at the base ; tarsi and 

 toes brown ; irides brown. Length 10 inches. The 

 young in first plumage do not differ very much from 

 their parents in general appearance, but the striping on 

 the upper parts is not so pronounced. The young in 

 down are dark chestnut, mottled with black and speckled 

 with white on the upper parts. 



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