The Snipes. 459 



although presenting the same general 

 appearance from day to day, may at 

 times attract Snipes in large numbers, 

 and at other times, owing to a slight 

 increase of water, be quite unsuitable 

 for them. 



The habits of the Common Snipe in 

 summer may be observed in Kashmir, 

 but no Indian sportsman has hitherto 

 written about them at that season, and, 

 consequently, we must consult European 

 writers. 



A curious habit of the Common Snipe, 

 chiefly, if not entirely, practised at the 

 breeding season, is that of perching on 

 trees, fences, etc. Messrs. Seebohm and 

 Harvie-Brown write : " We were not a 

 little surprised when we first became 

 acquainted with the arboreal habits of 

 the Snipe at Habariki, and saw one of 

 those birds perched, seventy feet from 

 the ground, on the topmost upright twig 

 of a bare larch, where, one would have 

 thought, it could scarcely find sufficieut 

 foot-hold. With its head lower than its 

 body and tail, it sat there,, uttering at 

 intervals the curious double ' clucking ' 

 note, tjick-tjuck, tjick-tjuck, whilst others 

 of the same species were ' drumming ' 

 high in air over the marsh. To put it 



