• OF THE BRITISH ISLANDS. 247 



autumn and winter the Red-breasted Snipe principally frequents 

 the low, flat, muddy coasts, where abundant food can be obtained, 

 but less frequently it is found near inland swamps and marshes. 

 On the muds it runs about in the usual Sandpiper style, occa- 

 sionally wading through the shallows, and even swimming when it 

 chances to get out of its depth. When alarmed, the flock rises 

 in masse, and settles again in the same manner. The flight of this 

 species is quick and well-sustained, but is not characterised by the 

 unsteady, wavering movements that are so remarkable a feature 

 in that of the true Snipes. The usual note of the Red-breasted 

 Snipe is said to be a whistle, easily imitated by the sportsman, 

 who often thus lures the bird to its doom. The alarm note is 

 described by Coues as a soft weet, uttered as the bird is about to 

 take flight. The food of this bird consists principally of worms 

 and insects, but seeds and various ground fruits are eaten. On 

 the shore it obtains crustaceans, mollusks, and other small marine 

 animals. 



Nidification. — The breeding season of the Red-breasted 

 Snipe begins in June, and fresh eggs may be obtained throughout 

 that month. The nesting grounds of this species are situated on 

 the Arctic tundras, the marshy portions of these interminable 

 northern moors, or " barren grounds," as the Americans term 

 them, where pools are frequent. Sometimes its breeding grounds 

 HTe close to the sea, at others considerable distances inland. The 

 nest is made upon the ground, often in a tuft of marsh-grass, or 

 amongst the short vegetation on the shores of the moorland lakes. 

 It is merely a hollow, scantily hned with a few dead leaves or bits 

 of withered herbage. The eggs are four in number, and vary in 

 ground colour from pale greenish brown to pale huffish brown, 

 blotched and spotted with dark reddish brown, and with under- 

 lying markings of pale'grayish brown. Sometimes a few very dark 

 streaks occur. They are pyriform, and measure on an average 

 17 inch in length by I'lS inch in breadth. Only one brood is 

 reared in the year, and as soon as the young can fly they begin to 

 draw southwards on their way to their winter quarters. 



Diagnostic Characters. — Ereunetes, with no web between 

 the middle and inner toes, and with the lower back much whiter 

 than the mantle. Length, lo to ir inches. 



