410 BIRDS OP SOMERSETSHIRE. 



quantity of Snipe in the peat-marsh between High- 

 bridge and Wells, after some heavy rain, in July; 

 and the Taunton paper for the 2nd of September, 

 1868, mentions Snipes having been shot in Curry 

 Moor by that time. These birds also remain to 

 breed in most of the other counties of England, and 

 in both of the neighbouring counties of Dorset and 

 Devon. 



Many persons have noticed the peculiar drumming 

 or bleating sound made by the Snipe in the breeding 

 season : this as well as the action of the bird while 

 making the sound are very well described by Dr. 

 Saxby, in the ' Zoologist' for 1867 (p. 537), and as 

 perhaps it is not very generally known, and oppor- 

 tunities of observing the bird during the breeding 

 season are not very frequent in our county, I may 

 quote what he says on the subject: "Several 

 Snipes were wheeling about in the air at a great 

 height, and I sat down to watch them as they 

 circled in all directions, now high, now low, but 

 each one evidently preferring to keep above its own 

 particular portion of ground, where, judging from 

 former experience, I felt sure the nest must be. 

 After a considerable height had been attained a 

 sudden descent followed, during which the bleating 

 was heard and the wings were left rigidly extended, 

 or perhaps vibrating in a manner so slight as to be 

 imperceptible : this lasted for three or four seconds ; 

 then the birds rose for about eight seconds, when 



