sabine's snipe. 275 



near Rocksborough, King's-county.* The same gentleman re- 

 ported in January, 1846, that a Sabine snipe was shot (by Charles 

 S. Ottley, Esq.) on the 17th of November, 1845, in a bog at 

 Ballyconnell; county Cavan, where it had been observed during 

 two years. It was stuffed by Mr. Glennon, who stated it to be 

 the fifth one he had preserved.f In December that year (as I 

 was informed also by Mr. Warren) Mr. Burton, of Clare, shot one 

 on his property in that county. The specimen was some time 

 afterwards brought to Dublin. The following notice of one of 

 these birds from Mr. E. Davis, junr., of Clonmel, appeared in the 

 ' Zoologist' for October 1846 :— 



" I have just received a specimen of Sabine's snipe ; it was 

 shot on the 31st of last month [August] in a bog near New Bir- 

 mingham, about sixteen miles from this place, by J. Morton, Esq., 

 of this town. It was in company with a common snipe, and rose 

 with it ; its cry was similar to that of the common, and but for 

 this cry it would have escaped, being, on first rising, mistaken 

 for a water-rail, and allowed to go a considerable distance. It 

 appears to be a male bird, and was moulting. Yarrell says the 

 tail consists of twelve feathers, and that two of the toes are united 

 for a short distance ; in this specimen, they are divided to the 

 origin, and the tail now consists of thirteen feathers ; some grains 

 of shot passed through these, and probably cut away another 

 feather. I have preserved the skin." 



On the 11th of February, 1847, Mr. Gubbins, of Tralee, while 

 in company with Dr. Chute, fowling, shot a Sabine snipe within 

 a few miles of that town ; it is now in the collection of the latter 

 gentleman. A second specimen was killed on the same month 

 in Kerry. J 



This last makes the tenth Sabine snipe killed in Ireland of 

 which such record could be obtained as is given here. Not so 

 many have been procured in England ; and in Scotland none at 



* It was noticed in a letter from another correspondent as shot on the " Good 

 Island Bog, between Cloughjordan and Dunkerrin." 



t This bird was presented by Mr. Ottley to Trinity College Museum, Dublin. 

 % Mr. R. Chute, March 1847. 



T 2 



