The Zoologist— September, 1870. 2271 



the feather." This distinction is not generally l<nown, or rather is not 

 generally admitted. Mr. Harting quotes the paragraph without 

 comment. I shall be very glad to learn the opinion of ornithologists 



on this subject.] 



Great Snipe.— Very rare generally in the western counties. A 

 specimen from the parish of Towednack, and another from St. Levan ; 

 another shot at Crowdymarsh, near Camelford. Met with more 

 frequently in Norfolk and the eastern counties. Number of tail- 

 feathers, sixteen. 



Common Snipe. — Universally distributed in suitable localities : a 

 brown variety, with the dorsal stripes narrower, occasionally met with. 

 Nest and eggs found at Tremethick marsh. Madron. Number of tail- 

 feathers, fourteen. 



Jack Snipe. — As universally distributed as the last-named species: 

 no instance recorded of its remaining throughout the summer. Number 

 of tail-feathers, twelve. 



[This is the becassin sourde or deaf snipe of Temminck ; whence 

 comes this name ? from its lying so close ? A number of instances 

 have been recorded of the jack snipe breeding in this country, one of 

 which, from my expressing disbelief, involved me in a literary con- 

 troversy in-the * Field,' in which, as regards argument, 1 got sadly 

 worsted, I cannot say convinced ; if I recollect right this controverted 

 nest contained eleven eggs ! Temminck tells us it breeds commonly 

 about St. Petersburgh, but assigns it, as I should have expected, only 

 four eggs. — E. Newman.'\ 



Sabine's Snipe. — This variety of the common snipe, as it is now 

 supposed to be, was killed near Carnanton, in the neighbourhood of 

 St. Columb, in January, 1862, in a very fine state of plumage :— it, in 

 every respect as to colour, dimensions, and arrangement of markings, 

 answers the description of authors of this bird : there is an entire 

 absence of the longitudinal stripes in the back, with the uniform brown 

 freckled plumage from the chin to the vent : the facial mask, from the 

 corner of the mouth to the eyes and so all round under the throat, is 

 dull black ; a black stripe half an inch wide runs from the top of the 

 head to the nape of the neck, with a few rusty brown spots sparingly 

 distributed; the under-surface of the quill — secondary find tertial 

 feathers— blackish gray, as are also the lateral under scapularies ; the 

 whole upper plumage marbled with deep black and rust, uniform 

 throughout — the tail with alternate black and rusty bars. Number of 

 tail-feathers,' in this specimen, fourteen — corresponding in this 



