THE KII COAST. 147 



I used to think a great deal more of picking up one 

 of these strange birds than half-a-dozen woodcock. 



Gallinago australis I found occasionally. This is a 

 noble snipe ; in some ways they often reminded me of 

 solitaria; I have seen them 6000 feet above the sea, 

 on mountain peaks, and generally single birds. They 

 are larger than the solitary bird, often weighing eight 

 ounces. The painted snipe, Bhynchcea hengalensis, is 

 common. The female of this species is beautifully 

 marked, and larger than the male. They are very 

 stupid, often objecting to rise at all, preferring to be 

 picked up by the hand. They are dry and tasteless, 

 and I seldom considered them worth a charge of 

 powder and shot. Their chief food is beetles and rice, 

 and the gizzard in consequence is of large size. I 

 never saw the jack snipe, S. gallinula, anywhere in this 

 part of Japan. Further north I have killed them. 

 Pheasants are very plentiful, particularly the green 

 bird, Phasianus versicolor. The beautiful copper species, 

 P. Sommeringii, although numerous, are mucb miore 

 difficult to see or find, owing to their keeping to the 

 mountains and wUd country ; whereas the other bird 

 is most abundant near the villages and cultivated 

 ground. To mention all the birds that are found on 

 the Kii coast would be too lengthy, so I will rrierely 



