338 USEFUL BIRDS. 



September and October. It is not an upland bird, but 

 is seen chiefly in fresh-water meadows and lowlands along 

 streams. It is sometimes met with in low, moist gardens. 

 Mr. William Brewster says, in his " Birds of the Cambridge 

 Region," that during exceptionally wet autumns great num- 

 bers of Snipe occasionally visit the truck farms of Arlington 

 and Belmont, to feed in the water-soaked fields of corn, pota- 

 toes, and other crops. As they do not injure the crops, but 

 probe the ground with their long bills, in search of worms 

 and larvae, it is probable that they do considerable good 

 at such times. The Snipe when started from the ground 

 usually goes off in a rather low, erratic course, but when well 

 up in the air it sometimes makes a long and steady flight. 

 It may be identified by its long bill. It seems to be some- 

 what nocturnal, particularly on moonlit nights, when its note 

 may be heard as it flies about the meadows or runs over 

 them. Its alarm note is a harsh scaipe, and it utters also a 

 muffled "bleat." It feeds mainly on worms, grasshoppers, 

 and other small forms of animal life. This bird's chief 

 economic value lies in the delicacy of its flesh, and as an 

 object of sport it has few superiors. 



