412 BIEDS OF SOMEESETSHIKE. 



as not only are they prevented from boring, but it 

 appears doubtful whether they will take their food 

 at all from a hard surface, which must consider- 

 ably aggravate their suffering. 



Although the Common Snipe is as well-known 

 and easily seen as the Woodcock I add a general 

 description, in order that it may be distinguished 

 from the probable species mentioned below. The 

 beak is dark brown at the end, pale reddish brown at 

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

 beak to the eye darkish brown, over this and over 

 the eye a light streak of pale buff; from the base of 

 the upper mandible over the top of the head are two 

 verj 7 dark bands, nearly black, and between these a 

 streak of pale buff; cheeks buff, with a few darkish 

 brown spots ; ear- coverts darkish brown ; neck all 

 round streaked dark brown and pale buff; middle of 

 the back black, glossed in some lights with sap- 

 green, some of the feathers have rusty markings on 

 the tips, each side of the black is a streak of pale 

 buff, outside this streak the feathers are much the 

 same as those of the back, and there is a similar 

 streak of pale buff outside again, but rather paler ; 

 the lesser wing-coverts are very dull brown, tipped 

 with very pale buff; primary quills dusky; second- 

 aries the same, but tipped with white ; tertials black, 

 marked and zigzagged with rusty; tail-coverts pale 

 brown, zigzagged with dusky ; tail-feathers, fourteen 

 in number (differing in this from the Great Snipe 



