THE GODWIT. 345 



two longitudinal black stripes ; the neck and shoulders are 

 blackish, and the breast white. It is persecuted by some of the 

 small birds of prey, such as the Merlin, the Hobby, and the 

 Kestrel. But, among all its enemies, man is most to be dreaded ; 

 he looks upon it as nearly equal to the Woodcock, and for this 

 reason pursues it with the greatest perseverance. It is true that 

 the sportsman pays dearly enough for the pleasure of killing this 

 favourite game ; for Snipe-shooting is not only more fatiguing 

 than pursuit of the Woodcock, but is occasionally dangerous. 

 Has not the Snipe-shooter the horrible prospect of rheumatism 

 saddling itself upon him at an age when most persons are still 

 vigorous, to say nothing of the falls he is almost sure to meet 

 with on the perfidious surface of the bogs and marshes traversed, 

 which might perchance even bury him in their muddy depths ? 

 Certainly this thought ought to cause reflection ; but as rheuma- 

 tism generally makes its appearance late in life, we seldom worry 

 ourselves about it when young. Besides the drawback of rheu- 

 matism, Snipe- shooting is accompanied by innumerable difficulties. 

 Immediately on the bird rising it makes two or three sudden 

 twists, which often baffle even the best shots : proficiency can 

 only be attained by long experience, aided by considerable rapidity 

 and steadiness of hand and eye. 



The Great Snipe is about a third larger than that of which we 

 have just been speaking. 



The Jack or Deaf Snipe is thus named because it fails to 

 notice the approach of the sportsman, and gets up literally under 

 his feet. This is the smallest of the European species. 



Wilson's Snipe (Scolopax Wilsonii) is a native of America. In 

 size it is the same as our Common Snipe. On the prairies of the 

 Western continent it is found in immense numbers. It is, strictly 

 speaking, migratory. The male and female differ slightly in 

 plumage and size, the former having a white breast, while the 

 latter has a brown one. As a table delicacy they cannot be sur- 

 passed. 



The GODWIT (Limosa), Fig. 133, is a beautiful bird, of slender 

 make, with long legs. It is larger than the Woodcock, with a 

 longer beak, this being twice the length of its head, and slender 



