WOODCOCK AND SNIFE. 



5or 



The members of this erroup, while aOT-eeing: with those of the 

 Typical Snipe. . . . ^ o » 



last in the longitudinal black markings on the head, are characterised 



by the number of tail-feathers never exceeding sixteen, by a considerable portion 

 of the tibia being bare, and by the total absence of bars on the inner webs of the 

 primary quills. Of these, the great snipe (;S^. major), which has sixteen tail-feathers, 

 and measures from 10| to 11^ inches in length, is characterised by the greater 

 portion of the four outer tail-feathers on each side being white, and by the broad 

 white tips to the median tail-coverts. A rare straggler during (chiefly autumnal) 

 migration to the British Islands, the great snipe breeds in Northern and some parts 

 of South-Eastern Europe, and as far eastwards as the valley of Yenisei, while in 

 winter the majority sojourn in South Africa. Eastwards of the Yenisei its place 

 is taken by Swinhoe's snipe (>S^. megala), which belongs to the preceding group, 

 having twenty tail-feathers. The best 

 known member of the whole group is the 

 common snipe (>S^. galinago), some of the 

 leading features of which have been 

 already alluded to on p. 498. This 

 species, which attains a length of 10^ 

 inches, is, however, characterised by 

 possessing fourteen tail-feathers, by the 

 breast being marked with longitudinal 

 dark streaks, and by the axillaries being 

 white, more or less marked with grey. 

 The breeding-range of the common snipe 

 comprises Northern and Central Europe 

 as far as the Arctic Ocean, and south- 

 wards to the Alps and Southern Russia, 

 while eastwards it extends through 

 Siberia and Turkestan to South-Eastern 

 Mongolia. In winter the birds from the 

 northern portion of this extensive area 

 spread themselves over the countries on both sides of the Mediterranean, Persia, 

 India, Ceylon, Burma, China, and the Philippines. In North America this species 

 is replaced by a variety known as Wilson's snipe, in the typical form of which 

 the beak is shorter, and the tail-feathers sixteen in number, while the axillaries 

 are barred with brown, and the breast is marked with transverse bars. Inter- 

 mediate forms, however, completely connect the two races ; these being frequently 

 met with in India. The breeding-area of Wilson's snipe extends from the Arctic 

 Circle to the northern United States ; while in winter the species ranges to central 

 and northern South America. The last species to which we can allude is the jack- 

 snipe (S. gallinula), which is a common winter visitor to Britain, and is characterised 

 by its small size (length, 7^ inches), its twelve tail-feathers, the purple gloss on 

 the feathers of the upper-parts, and the metallic green hue of the inner webs of 

 the scapulars. 



Undergoing but slight seasonal variation in plumage, snipe are to be found at 

 all times of the year among the protection afforded by the sedge, grass, or other 



COMMON SNIPE. 



