VARIETIES OF SNIPE. 51 



or coarse grass. It is very doubtful whether it now breeds 

 in this country, but formerly the nest was occasionally met 

 with. The beak is dark brown at the point, the base being 

 a pale reddish brown ; iris dark brown ; from the beak to the 

 eye a dark-brown streak ; over this and reaching backwards 

 over the ear coverts, a broad pale-brown streak, with a 

 narrow darker one along the middle line of the posterior 

 half ; top of the head a rich dark brown, without any pale 

 streak down the middle ; nape of the neck greyish brown, 

 varied with dusky brown ; back rich dark brown ; inter- 

 scapulars and scapulars nearly black, tipped with reddish 

 brown, both being edged with rich buff; wing coverts dusky 

 black, edged with pale brown; primaries and secondaries 

 dusky black, the latter ending in a white point ; tertials 

 brownish black, spotted and streaked with rich reddish 

 brown ; upper tail coverts brown, edged with buff; tail 

 feathers greyish black, twelve in number ; cheeks, chin, and 

 neck greyish brown, spotted with darker brown ; breast, 

 belly, and vent white ; legs and toes dark greenish brown ; 

 claws black ; length eight inches and a half; of the beak one 

 inch and a half. The females are larger than the males, and 

 the plumage is the same, with the exception that in the 

 former sex it is not so bright in colour. The winter plumage 

 is also nearly like that of summer, the reddish-brown parts 

 of the latter period being more inclined to ash grey in the 

 winter. Young birds are deficient in the green and purple 

 iridescent tints of the adults. 



The SUMMER SNIPE, or COMMON SANDPIPER (Tetanus hypo- 

 leucos) is only met with in this country during the summer 

 months, and for that reason is not one of the birds which is 

 likely to fall to the gun in what is called " snipe shooting." 

 Still, as it is commonly known by the name which is here pre- 

 fixed, and as many people shoot these birds chiringthe summer, 

 it is desirable that my readers should have a detailed descrip- 

 tion of this and its congener, the green sandpiper. The summer 

 snipe appears in Great Britain during the month of April, 

 and leaves in September; its movements are quick and 

 lively, and its most common haunts are the banks of running 

 streams, where it may be seen close to the water's edge, 

 flirting its tail up and down something after the manner of 



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