migratory habits : and the periods of its arrival in, and departure 

 from, Nipal, correspond altogether with the seasons of its appearance 

 and disappearance in England. 



He then proceeds to describe in detail the several kinds of Snipe 

 which occur in Nipal. 



Two of these are so nearly related to the common Snipe of Europe, 

 Gallinago media, Ray, that Mr. Hodgson is induced to regard them 

 as being probably specifically identical with that bird : and he ac- 

 cordingly refers them to it as varieties, which are constantly distin- 

 guished from each other by the structure of the tail. In one of them 

 the tail-feathers are fourteen or sixteen in number, and are all of 

 the same form : in the other the tail-feathers vary in number from 

 twenty-two to twenty-eight ; and the outer ones on either side, to 

 the number of six, eight, or ten, differ remarkably from those of the 

 middle, being narrow, hard, and acuminated. The latter bird may, 

 however, be regarded as the representative of a species to which the 

 name of Gall, heterura may be given. 



The other two Snipes of Nipal are unquestionably distinct from 

 those of Europe. They are described as the solitary Snipe, Gall, so- 

 litaria, Hodgs., and the wood Snipe, Gall, nemoricola, Ej. 



In the solitary Snipe the wings are remarkably long ; the upper 

 surface, especially on the wings, is minutely dotted, barred, and 

 streaked, with white intermingled with buff and brown ; and the ab- 

 domen is white, barred along the flanks with brown. 



The wood Snipe has the general colouring of the plumage dark 

 and sombre ; the wings short ; the abdomen and the whole of the 

 under surface thickly barred with transverse lines of dark brown on 

 a dusky white ground ; and a tail of sixteen or eighteen, or very 

 rarely twenty, feathers. 



Mr. Hodgson describes, with the greatest minuteness, each of 

 these birds, and adverts with the fullest detail to their several habits 

 and distinguishing peculiarities, as well of manners and of seasons 

 as of form and plumage. 



