SCOLOPACID^E. 415 



neck the same; the rest of the back of the neck 

 brownish rusty, with a dark streak in the centre of 

 each feather ; back and scapulars velvet-black, every 

 feather narrowly margined and marked with rich 

 rusty, the stripes down the back are distinctly 

 marked as in the common species, but are much 

 richer in colour, except the lower part of the outer 

 stripe, which approaches the pale cream-colour of 

 the Common Snipe ; the rump is black ; the tail- 

 coverts rusty brown, barred with black ; the number 

 of feathers in the tail the same as in the common 

 species; the part which projects beyond the tail- 

 coverts is rich rusty, with a single irregular bar of 

 black, the lower part of the feathers has more 

 black than the upper part, the shafts are black; 

 primary and secondary quills much the same as in 

 the common species ; lesser wing-coverts black 

 towards the base, marked in the centre with rust}% 

 round this an irregular black mark, and beyond this 

 a margin of pale brownish rusty ; shafts black ; the 

 greater coverts of the secondaries black at the base, 

 barred towards the tip with black and rusty; tip 

 itself very pale rusty, nearly white ; chin nearly 

 white ; throat and breast rusty, each feather streaked 

 with dusky ; flanks and all the under parts white, 

 barred with dusky. 



Varieties of the Common Snipe occasionally 

 occur. A cream-coloured variety was lately shot 

 near here, by Mr. Winter, of Watts House : the 



