GRALLATORES. 193 



to some rushes at the side of the pond, and I had 

 some little difficulty to make them rise. 



I once kept a Jack Snipe in confinement for some 

 days, and, as the bird is a very difficult one to 

 observe when on the ground in its wild state, a 

 transcript of some notes made on its movements in 

 my aviary may be interesting. 



" October 8th. Found some Jack Snipe to-day, 

 and shot three. One of them, curiously enough, was 

 struck in the carpal joint of each wing, which caused 

 the bird to fall. It being otherwise apparently un- 

 injured, I carried it home alive in my pocket, and 

 turned it into the aviary, first shaking down some 

 straw temporarily, for cover, and putting in a supply 

 of worms and water. 



" October 9th. Jack Snipe alive and well. Cut 

 several large sods with plenty of rushes growing on 

 them, and put them in the aviary instead of the 

 straw. Procured an old tea-tray and filled it with 

 water, strewing some gravel and sand at the bottom, 

 thus making a capital pool. Scattered some worms 

 among the rushes and in the water, and left the 

 bird in quiet. 



"October 10th. Jack Snipe alive and active, but 

 still very shy, and will not feed while I am near. 

 Looked in later in the day, and found him still 

 squatting in the rushes. Gave him some boiled 

 liver, chopped fine, which Mr. Hancock says is a 

 fine thing for all waders in confinement, as it more 



s 



