ON THE ‘‘ HUMMING” OF THE SNIPE. 129 
convinced that Snipes produced their bleating notes, not through their 
vocal organs, but by means of their wings, with or without the help of 
their tail-feathers. 
** Now, however, Prof. Altum, in Dankelmann’s ‘ Blatter fiir Forst und 
Jagd-wesen’ (Orn. Centralbl., 1st Oct., 1880, p. 149), has brought forward 
a new observation thereon, which is so extraordinary, that it cannot possibly 
be passed over in silence. He asserts that the sound is caused by the 
tremulous movement of the outer tail-feathers of the bird when precipitating 
itself with great rapidity. Naumann, on the other hand, says that one 
may convince oneself by sight (all the better with a telescope) that Snipes 
‘bleat’ by means of a rapid vibration of their wings. These wholly opposite 
views, of which one is to be convinced by sight, prove nothing more than 
the absolute fallacy of this means of proof. Both naturalists are agreed 
that, by means of a tail-feather fastened to a stick or wire, and moved hither 
and thither through the air, the sound can be pretty well imitated. In 
theory this is right, but the actual experiment proves that the sound thus 
produced is not audible at more than seventy yards distance, while the 
‘bleating’ of the Snipe can be heard through the calm air ten times as far. 
This means of proof is quite as valueless as that of sight. 
«A distinct contradiction to these assertions is furnished by Bechstein, 
who stated, seventy years ago, that he had often heard Snipes ‘drum’ as 
they sat on dead boughs of trees. ‘This was corroborated by ‘ Dietrich aus 
dem Winckell,’ in his ‘ Handbuch fiir Jager,’ through a friend, on whose 
authority he could rely, and who had twice heard Snipes ‘drum’ from dead 
boughs. W. Hintz reported in ‘ Naumannia’ (1854, p. 90), amongst other 
observations, that during his apprenticeship he had at least ten times seen 
and heard Snipes ‘drum’ from dead oak-boughs in a marsh, and what he 
had seen and heard he strongly asserted. Subsequently. ‘Graf E. E.’, in 
‘Waidmann’ (vol. ix., part 17), reported that an observant sportsman had 
heard a Snipe ‘drum’ while sitting on a telegraph-wire.* 
‘«« The observation above referred to, as reported by Prof. Altum, is to the 
effect that a winged Snipe, held in the hand, ‘ bleated,’ not with its bill, but 
with its widely extended tail-feathers! To convince himself of the sound, 
the experimenter moved to and fro with the bird, and found his object 
achieved, making the tail-feathers hum loudly, just like the sound of a 
bleating Sn‘pe. This assertion seems so extraordinary, that it must be 
regarded as a delusion, for one can only arrive at the reasonable conclusion 
that so long as Herr Schmidt's Snipe was held in the hand it ‘ bleated’ 
from pain or fright, not that the ‘bleating’ was caused by the expanded 
tail-feathers moving to and fro in the air—an idea which it is absolutely 
* We have heard a similar sound from telegraph-wires when there was 
no Snipe sitting there ! 
