14 MR. P, H. BAHR ON THE [Jail. 15, 



He then examined the tail-feathers of our common species 

 more closely and found " the first (outer feather) especially very 

 peculiarly constructed ; the shaft uncommonly stiff, sabre-shaped. 

 The rays of the web strongly bound together and very long, the 

 longest reaching nearly | of the whole length of the web, .... 

 like the strings of a musical insti'ument. If one blows from 

 the outer side upon the broad web it comes into vibration, and a 

 sound is heard, which, though fainter, resembles very closely the 

 well-known neigh." He then fastened the outer or first feather 

 with fine thread to a piece of steel wire and fixed it to a 4-foot 

 stick, and found if he drew this with the outer edge of the feather 

 through the air, at the same time making shaking motions of 

 the arm to represent the shiveiing of the wings during flight, 

 he was able to produce the neighing sound with astonishing 

 exactness. In bringing the matter before the Zoological >Society 

 Mr. Wolley confirmed Meves's experiments. These experiments I 

 hope to explain more fully anon. 



John Hancock, in 1875, in the 'Birds of Northumberland and 

 Durham,' vol. vi. pp. 105-113, severely criticises Meves's theory 

 and experiments. 



I cannot quote his article at length, for it is a very long one. 

 He argues, from the diversity of structure exhibited by the rectrices 

 of various species of Snipe, that they cannot be musical instruments. 

 He failed to produce the neighing sound of a Snipe by Meves's 

 experiment, but admits " when the web of almost any firm feather 

 is blown upon a low vibrating sound is produced ; and such a sound 

 is stronger when a tail-feather of the Common Snipe is used, 

 arisiiig apparently from the fact that the inner web is wide and firm ; 

 but the sound is so low that it cannot be heard many yards off." 



Later : " The sound is audible at a great distance, even when 

 the bird has risen high into the air. No sound that could be 

 produced under any circumstances by such feeble instruments as 

 the lateral tail-feathers of the Snipe, instruments not larger than 

 the wings of a Dragonfly, could be heard at any considerable 

 distance. And it is scarcely to be doubted by anyone that the 

 wings of a Snipe vibrating rapidly will produce some sound louder 

 than any that could be made by a pair of small tail-feathers of a 

 bird rushing downward through the air." 



Prof. Altum (' Ornithologisches Centralblatt,' Oct, 1880) satisfied 

 himself that he could produce the sound with the lateral tail- 

 feathei's. He, however, quotes "two adverse cases " : — 



(1) A Snipe was observed " bleating" as it sat, or rather stood, 



on an elevation. 



(2) A certain Alex Schmidt winged a Snipe which, with tail 



stifily expanded, began to bleat in his hand, the air blowing 

 through the web of the feathers, the wings being held 

 close to the bird's side. Every time the bird was moved 

 rapidly against the wind his object was attained. 

 It is to be noted that in both cases a strong loind was noticed 



to be blowing. That these two cases are easily explicable I hope 



to adduce evidence later on. 



