498 PLOVER TRIBE. 



species the metatarsus is covered both in front and behind with scutes, the tibia 

 may be either feathered to its base, or partially naked ; but a small first toe, 

 elevated above the level of the others, is always present. There is but little 

 difference between the summer and winter dress ; and the peculiar mottled russet 

 or ashy tone of the plumage is admirably adapted for concealing the birds in 

 their native haunts. All these birds are more or less nocturnal in their 

 habits ; and all are endued with the power of strong, rapid, and long-sustained 

 flight, frequently accompanied by those peculiar zig-zag dartings when frightened, 

 which renders snipe-shooting in many countries so difficult to the inexperienced. 

 The long and sensitive beak is adapted for probing in soft mud in search of the 

 insects, larvae, and worms on which these birds chiefly subsist. Although each 

 male invariably pairs with a single female in all the species, some may be gregarious 

 at certain seasons, while others are always solitary. All frequent either marshes 

 or woodland swamps ; and they make slight nests on the ground in which are 

 deposited four pear-shaped and spotted eggs. In the young the beak is com- 

 paratively short. The genus comprises seventeen species, some of which are 

 divided into local varieties, and have a world-wide distribution, four of the species 

 occurring in the British Islands, where, however, only two breed. 



Contrasted with the common snipe, the woodcock differs so 

 markedly in several features that if we had these two alone to deal 

 with they might be referred to distinct genera, but the existence of more or less com- 

 pletely intermediate types renders it preferable to follow Mr. Seebohm in including 

 the whole under the genus Scolopax. In the snipe a considerable portion of the tibia is 

 bare, whereas in the woodcock (8. rusticola) it is completely feathered; there are four- 

 teen tail-feathers in the former and twelve in the latter ; in the snipe the primaries 

 are long and the secondaries short, whereas the reverse is the case with its cousin ; 

 the black markings on the head of the snipe are longitudinal, and commence at the 

 beak, while in the woodcock they are transverse and confined to the back of the 

 head ; the under surface of the tail-feathers of the woodcock have silvery white 

 tips, which are wanting in the snipe ; the snipe has uniformly coloured primary 

 quills, while those of the woodcock are barred ; lastly, the eggs of the woodcock 

 have a much paler ground-colour than those of the snipe. Measuring from 13 to 

 14 inches in length, the common woodcock may be distinguished from its 

 allies by the above-mentioned transverse markings on the head, and the silvery 

 tips to the under-surface of the tail-feathers, coupled with the barred breast, and 

 the bars on both webs of the primaries ; and it will thus be unnecessary to describe 

 the bird in detail, although reference must be made to its large, brown, beady eye. 

 Breeding as far north as the Arctic Circle in forest-districts, and as far south as 

 the Alps, Caucasus, and Himalaya, at considerable elevations, as well as in the 

 mountains of Japan, the common woodcock ranges over the greater part of Europe 

 and Asia, visiting India and the adjacent regions in winter. Although the 

 individuals breeding in the extreme north are migratory, those whose nesting- 

 haunts are more to the south are probably resident. The smaller North American 

 woodcock (8. minor) differs by the narrowness of the first three primary quills, 

 and the nearly uniform coloration of all the primaries and under-parts; the 

 Moluccan woodcock (8. rochusseni) has a uniform breast and barred primaries ; 



