30 CASSELL S BOOK OF BIRDS. 



tender at its extremity, so that this part, which is richly supplied with nerves, serves as a delicate 



organ of touch, and is used for searching in the soft ground for the insects and worms that constitute 



the food of these birds. The more or less long tarsi are covered in front with narrow transverse 



scales, the anterior toes are long, that in the middle being of unusual length, the hinder toe is 



short,, elevated, and reaches- to the ground, the wings are broad, but comparatively short, and the 



short broad tail, composed of from twelve to twenty-six feathers, is rounded at its extremity. The 



plumage of this group, which is soft and thick, varies in its coloration according to the situations 



occupied by its possessor. 



The Snipes must be regarded as natives of the north and temperate portions of the earth, 



although they also visit its warmest latitudes. Many species frequent swampy woods, but for 



the most part they seek their food in marshes and morasses, remaining concealed during the day 



and- searching for their food principally early in the morning or during the evening hours. 



Although by no means of social disposition, they are occasionally seen congregated together in 



considerable numbers ; these assemblages are, however, owing apparently to the attraction of a 



suitable locality, as each bird lives, as it were, for itself and pays but little heed to its companions. 



Early in spring, the males exhibit a very pugnacious disposition, and have many fierce encounters 



with their rivals before obtaining a mate. The movements of the Snipes, both on the ground and 



in- the air and water, are extremely active and easy, and the facility with which they seize and 



extract their insect prey from the mud and ooze, must be regarded as truly astonishing. Their voice 



is usually monotonous and harsh, but during the period of incubation the male indulges in a variety 



of gesticulations and peculiar notes. When alarmed, these birds generally lie close to the ground 



or among the herbage, or suddenly starting, on wing escape by a flight which is short, elevated, 



rapid, and irregular. The four moderate-sized and pear-shaped eggs have a dirty yellow or 



greenish shell spotted with brown, and are deposited in a slight hole in the ground. The young, 



when they are hatched, are clad in a downy chequered garb of black and brown, and quit the nest 



on the day they escape from the shell. The Snipes are migratory in their habits and generally 



breed in high northern latitudes, but some are indigenous in this country, in all parts of which 



they rear their young, being especially numerous towards the north of Britain. Their flesh is 



much esteemed. 



THE WOODCOCK. 



The Woodcock (Scolopax rusticold) possesses a comparatively strong beak, rounded at the tip, and 

 short stout feet with a very small claw upon the hind toe. The wing is blunt, and the tail composed 

 of twelve feathers. Upon the forehead the plumage is grey, the sides of the head and nape are 

 striped brown and reddish yellow ; the rest of the tipper portions of the body are spotted with various 

 shades of brown, grey, and black. The large eye is brown, and the beak and foot horn-grey. This 

 species is twelve inches long and twenty-two broad ; the wing measures three, and the tail three 

 inches and a half. 



The Woodcock is met with throughout the whole of Europe, with the exception of its most 

 northern islands, and throughout Northern and Central Asia. It also visits North-western Africa 

 and India, as far south as Madras, and, according to " Mountaineer," breeds immediately beneath 

 the snow line of the Himalayas. In Sweden, Great Britain, and the northern part of Germany, 

 some frequently remain throughout the entire year, while those occupying colder latitudes invariably 

 wander south at the approach of autumn. By far the greater number, however, of the birds that 

 appear in England and Scotland are merely winter residents, arriving about October, and leaving 

 for more northern regions in March. Mr. Selby, who resided near the eastern coast of Northumber- 

 land, and thus had ample opportunities for observing the arrival of flocks of Woodcocks, says : — 



