OUR FRIENDS, THE BIRDS. 93 
THE SNIPE. 
“The habits of the Snipe are somewhat similar to 
those of the Woodcock. Legs and bill somewhat 
longer in the Snipe. Audubon says of them: ‘The 
birds are met with in the meadows and low grounds, 
and by being on the spot before sunrise you may see 
both male and female mount high in a spiral manner, 
now with continuous beats of the wings, now in short 
sailings, until more than a hundred yards high, when 
they whirl round each other with extreme velocity, and 
dance, as it were, to their own music; for at this junc- 
ture, and during the space of four or five minutes, you 
hear rolling notes mingled together, each more or less 
distinct, perhaps, according to the state of the atmo- 
sphere. The sounds produced are extremely pleasing, 
though they fall faintly on the ear. We have so little 
time this morning that I have hastily described them 
that you may have more time for discussing the ques- 
tions.” 
QUESTIONS. 
In what do these three birds resemble each other ? 
How does the Plover differ from the others ? 
Do they all feed alike? 
Have you ever seen them? 
Where? 
At what time of day? 
What can you tell about them ? 
Can you find anything in literature concerning 
these birds? 
