GALLINAGO WILSONI (Bonap). 
WILSON’S SNIPE. 
Specific Character.—Bill long, compressed, flattened and slightly expanded 
toward the tip, punctulated in its terminal half; wings rather long; legs moder- 
ate; tail short. Entire upper parts brownish black; every feather spotted and 
widely edged with light rufous, yellowish brown or ashy white back and rump 
transversely barred and spotted with the same; a line from the base of the bill 
over the top of the head. Throat and neck before, dull reddish ashy; wing 
feathers marked with dull brownish black, other under parts white with trans- 
verse bars of brownish black on the sides; axillary feathers, under wing coverts 
and under tail coverts and quills brownish black ; outer edge of first primary 
white ; tail glossy brownish black, widely tipped with bright rufous, paler at the 
tip and with a subterminal narrow band of black ; outer feathers of the tail paler 
frequently nearly white, and barred with black throughout their length ; bill brown 
(greenish grey in life) paler at base and darker toward the end; legs dark brown 
(light greenish grey in life). | 
Total length about 10.50 to 11.50 inches ; extent, 16.50 to 17.50; wing, 5.00 
to 6.00; tail, 2.25; bill, 2.50 to 2.60; tarsu,s 1.25. 
Habitat.—The whole of north and middle America, breeding from the 
northern United States northward, migrating in the winter as far south as New 
Grenada. 
This bird is quite common in Ontario during its spring and fall migration, 
occurring in low meadows and along the marshy banks of streams. Although 
not nearly so common as in former years, it still returns to its old haunts or 
“snipe beds,” where it is eagerly sought by sportsmen, who generally think the 
sport only second perhaps to that of woodcock shooting. 
It reaches here in Ontario early in April, remaining upon its feeding grounds 
for a week or so, where it carries on its lovemaking and pairing. The female 
‘sits upon a bog or soft part of a meadow, and while she clucks something like a 
hen the male is performing gyrations in the air, swooping down to her, then 
rising suddenly until he thinks she is satisfied of his prowess and beauty, which 
she evinces by her contented cluck. ; 
As the male bird swoops down in the air, a peculiar rumbling noise is made 
by fixing his wing feathers in a certain position as has been described of some 
other birds. Towards the end of April all of these birds are mated and most of 
them move northward to their breeding grounds; a few, however, remain and 
breed throughout Ontario. The nest is placed always on the ground, and three 
or four eggs are laid, generally three. The ground colour of the eggs is light 
brown covered with dark sepia coloured spots, smaller at the small end than at 
the larger. The young are able to run as soon as hatched. It is said the snipe 
will light on trees sometimes, but only when they are disturbed during the breeding 
season. Its food consists largely of worms, larve and small insects and snails. 
The snipe has a peculiar flight; when first flushed it rises with its peculiar ery 
“seaipe, but three or four feet from the ground flying in a twisting zig-zag man- 
ner, sportsmen generally expect three of these twists before it settles down to a 
steady flight, and it is just after the third twist that the sportsman generally 
tries bis luck. It requires a steady shot to make a good bag. This bird is some- 
times called the English snipe, but many good observers say that although they 
are much alike, the colours nre somewhat different ; besides, the English bird has 
only 14 feathers in its tail while the American snipe has 16. 
