THE COMMON SNIPE. 207 



from the north of Europe. When snipes have settled in 

 any place, either in the breeding time or during the winter, 

 they are raised with difficulty ; but when they are shifting 

 about for a pasture, they are not so close. When raised 

 on short flights, they traverse, but do it so quickly that, 

 although they do not get away fast, it is not very easy to 

 hit them, and they keep hawks in play for a considerable 

 time. When removing to any distance they fly very high, 

 and their calls can be heard when they are beyond the reach 

 of ordinary vision. Their greatest natural enemy is the 

 marsh harrier. 



In the spring, the birds retire from the low grounds as 

 those begin to get dry, and seek their way to more northern 

 or upland places, where the winter lasts longer, and the sur- 

 face continues more humid; and probably some of them 

 leave Britain for more northerly places. A few, however, 

 remain in most parts of the country, but they are most 

 numerous in the north and north-west of Britain, and espe- 

 cially in the bogs of Ireland. 



The seasonal cry of the male begins in the end of March, 

 or sometimes in April, according to the place and the season, 

 and it continues as long as the female sits. Until he finds a 

 mate the male often cries during the day, but after pairing 

 he is heard chiefly in the evening. The call is a mixture of 

 piping and bleating, always uttered on the wing, and swelled 

 and hurried as the bird ascends. While uttering it, the bird, 

 if visible, is always in a state of great excitement, with the 

 wings quivering ; but whether the action of these upon the 

 air occasions any portion of the sound, as some allege, is a 

 point not easily denied or proved. 



The nest is hidden among the thick herbage, and consists 

 of a small hollow, carelessly lined with withered plants. The 

 eggs are four, of a pale greenish grey with brown blotches, 

 some lighter, some darker ; and they are arranged quatrefoil. 



