VARIETIES OP SNIPE. 49 



black, each feather having a central line and margin of buff ; 

 lesser wing coverts black brown, tipped with pale yellow 

 above, and white below ; great coverts black, tipped with 

 white ; primaries of a dull greyish black ; secondaries black, 

 tipped with white ; tertials black, barred and streaked with 

 pale brown ; rump dark brown, edged with pale brown ; 

 upper tail coverts yellow brown, mottled with dark brown ; 

 tail feathers sixteen, of which the four on the outside are 

 nearly all white, the middle eight being of a rich brownish 

 black for the first three-fourths of their length, then comes a 

 patch of chesnut, next a bar of black, and finally they are 

 tipped with white ; chin pale yellow brown ; breast and 

 sides with half-circular bands of brownish black or pale 

 brown ; belly and vent pale brownish white ; legs and toes 

 greenish brown ; claws black. Length twelve inches ; weight 

 seven to nine ounces. Females larger than the males, which 

 are lighter in colour above and below the dark stripe at the 

 base of the beak. 



The COMMON SNIPE, SNITE or HEATHER BLEATER (Galli- 

 nago media) breeds in small numbers in the south of England, 

 and to a large extent in the north, but is chiefly a bird of 

 passage, coming over in November and leaving in March. 

 The third name which is given above arises from the bleating 

 noise made by this bird on* the wing, and which is a call of 

 the male to his partner in the breeding season. At this time 

 the cock snipe rises to a great height in the air, leaving the 

 hen on the nest, which is made in a very slight manner, 

 on the ground, and lined with dead grass. The eggs are 

 four, of a pale yellowish or greenish white, the larger end 

 being spotted with brown ; length one inch and a half, 

 breadth one inch and one line. The plumage varies ac- 

 cording to the season, as follows : In winter the beak is 

 dark brown at the end, pale reddish brown at the base ; iris 

 dark brown j a dark-brown streak from the base of the beak 

 to the eye ; over this, and extending backwards over the ear 

 coverts, a pale-brown streak j upper part of the head very 

 dark brown, with a pale streak along the centre ; back dark 

 brown spotted with pale brown ; interscapulars and scapulars 

 dark brown, with broad margins of rich buff, forming four 

 distinct lines along the upper surface of the body ; wing 



