ip THE ZOOLOGIST. 
the bill; others, like Naumann, considered it to result from a 
vibratory movement of the wings; whilst the most remarkable 
theory (that of Herr Meves) is that it is produced by the outer 
tail-feather on each side as it is drawn rapidly through the air in 
the bird’s descent. Let us see what foundation there is for these 
various opinions. As the noises made by birds usually proceed 
from the throat, it seemed but natural to suppose at first that the 
“humming” of the Snipe was similarly produced. But, as the 
bird has been observed close enough to see that sometimes the 
bill is closed when the sound is heard, while at other times the 
well-known cry of “chook-chook-chook” is uttered simultaneously 
with the “humming” sound, it becomes evident that the latter 
cannot be produced through the throat. In favour of the wings 
there is a good deal to be said, and here it will be desirable 
to refer to the peculiar position of the bird at the time the 
“humming” is produced. 
On rising from the ground the Snipe mounts to a good height, 
and often flies to some distance before anything unusual is 
observed. A few rapid beats of the wing are then given, and, 
with half-closed pinions and spreading tail, the Snipe is seen to 
fall through the air in a sloping direction, as if about to re-alight. 
At a distance the wings then appear to be motionless, but on a 
nearer view a tremulous movement in them is observable. It 
is during this descent, and at no other time, that the peculiar 
“humming” sound is heard. Its continuance may be thus 
described :—For five seconds the bird gives rapid strokes with 
the wings; during the next five it falls through the air as 
described; in the succeeding five it rises again for a similar 
interval, only to fall at its expiration as before, and these move- 
ments are continued alternately until the bird at length re-alights 
in the fen. From the peculiar vibration of the wings in the 
downward descent of the bird, it would appear that the primaries, 
instead of firmly overlapping each other, are, in the act of 
“humming,” turned broadside to the air, which is thus able to 
play across the inner web of each, and so impart to each a 
vibratory motion and consequent sound—faint, indeed, in the 
case of a single feather, but audible enough when an entire wing 
is acted upon. Whether this be the true explanation of the 
singular sound, it is of course not easy to prove conclusively; but 
it has certainly been accepted as such by many naturalists in 
