BROWN SNIPE. 315 



Wilson, in his account of this bird, observes that it arrives on 

 the sea coast early in April, in great numbers, flying in flocks, 

 sometimes at a great height, and uttering a loud and shrill whistle. 

 It feeds upon " small snail shells, which lie in millions on the salt 

 marshes;" and as its flesh appears to be eagerly sought after as a 

 delicacy for the table, immense numbers are shot down and sent 

 to the markets. From its habit of huddling close when alighting 

 on the sand bars and mud flats, a good shot is easily obtained. 

 Eighty-five have been killed at one discharge. 



Sir John Richardson, in his fauna of North America, states that 

 the specimens killed by his party on the Saskatchewan plains, had 

 their crops " filled with leeches and fragments of beetles." 



Professor Baird, in his 'Birds of North America,' remarks that 

 this species is very " variable in plumage, scarcely any two being 

 exactly alike except in very mature plumage." In the same work, 

 (page 712), he introduces another bird Macrorhamphus scolopaceus 

 (Say), giving a description of its specific characters, which may 

 be said to be almost identical with those of M. griseus, and con- 

 cluding with the following remarks: " The only characters which 

 appear to be reliable are those pointed out by Mr Lawrence, which 

 are the greater length of the bill and tarsi in the present species. 

 It is, however, nearly related to that immediately preceding (M. 

 griseus,) and, for the present, with numerous specimens of both 

 before us, we consider it but of doubtful validity as a species; and 

 its study is further complicated by the fact that it bears a striking 

 resemblance to the rare European species, supposed to be identical 

 with the common bird of America, as will be seen in Gould's 

 beautiful figure in ' Birds of Europe,' vol. iv., pi. 323, the latter 

 seems to be a little larger than our common species." Mr Baird 

 adds that this variety, if it be nothing more, is found throughout 

 " the temperate regions of North America." 



Believing that a description of the Scottish specimen will be 

 acceptable to the ornithologist, I have much pleasure in giving the 

 following particulars with which Dr Smith has most obligingly 

 furnished me: "Top of the head is dark brown, mottled with a 

 few lighter spots; lores, dark brown; over eye to bill, a light 

 or pale fawn streak. Upper parts of body brown; middle of 

 back and scapulars, dark brown, many feathers edged and spotted 

 with yellowish brown; rump, white, slightly spotted with brown; 

 upper tail coverts white, barred with brown; tail nearly even, 



