434 Lettei-s to the Editor. 



5-4 indies in the wing ag-ainst from 4'8 inches to 5 '3 inches in 

 the latter. 



The lower wing- coverts are richly barred, but not more so 

 than in several specimens, I have, of the common snipe. 



■The bill is shorter than in one specimen by me of the com- 

 mon snipe, but as long" as the others, and is slightly deeper at 

 the base. 



The tarsus and feet are shorter than those of one specimen, 

 and as long, or longer than those of the others. 



None of the above characteristics will hold good as points of 

 separation, and the only tangible difference is in the tail. 



In the common snipe, the tail consists of fourteen feathers, 

 soft, and of equal width. The outer pair are longer than the 

 next pair, and in some cases as long as the centre pair. 



In the pintailed snipe, the tail consists of twenty-two feathers, 

 of which the six outermost pairs are shorter than the rest of 

 the tail and very narrow, rigid, and pointed. 



As I have never yet seen any description of the habits of 

 the pintailed snipe in point, I am in hopes that this may prove 

 interesting to some of your readers. — G. F. L, Marshall. 



Sir, 



Perhaps a short account -of a nest of QalUnula plmnicura 

 wliich I found in September, 1868, in Bombay, may be of some 

 use to you. I am not aware if much is known about the breed- 

 ing of this bird ; all the information we get from Dr. Jerdon, 

 is comprised in the following sentence : 



" Theobald found the nest in a jheel, made of weeds, containing 

 seven eggs, of a brownish cream colour, spotted and blotched with 

 brownish red.^^ 



In 1868 I was living in a house surrounded by very low-lying 

 fields, which were under water nearly all the monsoon, and of 

 course became the resort of various water birds. Among them 

 this year were half a dozen of this Gallimda, which very soon 

 made their presence known by their awful cries. I cannot 

 understand Dr. Jerdoii dismissing the cry of this bird, if he 

 ever heard it during the breeding season, with the words " has a 

 loud call.^'' Anything more unearthly proceeding from the 

 throat of a bird I never heard. It began with loud harsh roars 

 which might have been elicited from a bear by roasting it slow- 

 ly over a large fire, then suddenly changed to a clear note re- 

 peated like the coo of a dove. Often in the morning two ■ or 

 three of the birds might be seen in some little open space fight- 

 ing like young cock chickens. 



