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PH.ECOt'IAL GRALLATORES — LIMICOLvE. 



move from jtlaoo to place; so that it is (luito common for the spdrtsman to tind them 

 abundant one diiy, and that the sam.- ])laee is entirely (h'serted tiie next. 



Tiieir summer or nuptial idiimaj,'!' is iiuton alidut the last of Marcli or the first of 

 Ajiril, and the mali' hcj,'ins his calls of invitation to his mate. Tli;se are always 

 uttered when the i)ird is on the will},', and are said l>y \'arrell to consist of pipiii}? or 

 (dickiufj; notes, often ri'iie.'ited, and accompanied at intervals b}' a hiimiiiiny; or l)leat- 

 inj,' noise. Tliis latter sound is supiiosed to lie produced by a peculiar action of the 

 winy;s, and is said to be not unlike the cry of a j,'oat, for which reason this bird is 

 known in Fr.inee by the nann^jf r/^t'/v' roA'/^)'. Whenever this sound is heard, the 

 bird is observed ab.a.;, > to deseeiul with j^reat vtdocity and with a tremulous motion 

 of the wings. At this season it is also said to soar to an immense height, renuiining 

 long upon the wing, its notes being frcfiueiitly heard when the bird itstdf is out of 

 sight. These flights are performed at intervals throughout the day, but are more 

 common toward the evening, and are continued as long as the fenuile is engaged in 

 incubation. Sir Humphry Davy .states that the old birds are greatly attached to 

 their offspring, and that if any one apiiroaches the nest, they nuike a loud and drum- 

 ming noise over the head of the iiitru(h'r. as if to divert his attention. 



The feeding-ground of this Snipe is in the vicinity of springs and in freshwater 

 meadows. It feeds by thrusting its bill into the thin mud or soft earth up to the 

 base, and drawing it back with great (piickness. Varrell states that the end of the 

 bill of a Snijie, when the bird is living, is smooth, soft, and pulpy, indicating great 

 sensibility. When dry it becomes dimpled like the end of a thind)le. If the upjier 

 mandible be macerated and the cuticle taken off. the bone laid bare will be found 

 presenting on its external surface numerous elongated hexagonal cells, which furnisli 

 space for the expansion, and at the same time protection for minute jiortions of nerves 

 sujjplied to them from the fifth pair. In consecpiencc^ of this provision, the end of 

 the bill becomes a delicate organ of touch, enabling the bird to perceive the pres- 

 ence of its food, even when this lies so deep in the grmmd as to b(> entirely out of 

 sight. The food of this Snipe consists of Avorms, insects, small shells with their 

 inhabitants, etc. 3Iiimte seeds are sometimes found in its stomach ; but these are 

 supposed to be swallowed accidentally, ami when adhering to the glutinous surface 

 of its usu.al food. A Snipe kept in continement by Mr. Blyth would eat nothing 

 but earth-W(n'ms. 



The nests of this Snipe are placed on the ground, and are very inartificial. They 

 are usually among the long grass, by the side of small ponds, or amidst the long 

 heather which grows upon the sides of the hills. Mr. Ilewitson nu^t with several of 

 its nests on the Shetland Islands, in the dry heath on the side of a steep hill, at 

 an elevation of a thousand feet above the marshy plain. The nest is always very 

 slight, consisting only of a few bits of dry grass or herbage collected in a depression 

 on the ground, and sometimes upon or under the side of a tuft of grass or bunch of 

 rushes. 



The eggs are said to be four in number — occasionally less — having a ])ale yellow- 

 ish-white ground, and being marked with elongated blotches of several shades of 

 reddish and yellowish brown ; these markings are chiefly about the more obtuse end. 

 The eggs are pyriform in shape, and quite pointed at one end. They measure l.oO 

 inches in length by 1.08 in breadth. 



The young birds are carefully tended, and grow with great rapidity ; and before 

 they can fly are larger than their parents. 



