3o8 THE GAME BIRDS AND WILD FOWL 



express on paper as that of the Woodcock. The pairing notes 

 will be described later. The food of the Common Snipe consists 

 of worms, grubs, aquatic insects and their larvse, and small water- 

 snails. Much of this food is obtained whilst the bird probes the 

 soft mud with its extremely sensitive bill, which is full of small 

 thread-like nerves connected with the brain. This complicated 

 nervous plexus renders the bill of the Common Snipe so sensitive 

 that the bird is enabled to feel its prey when buried deep and 

 out of sight in the soft mud. Much difference of opinion has 

 been expressed respecting the best method of shooting Snipe, 

 some sportsmen preferring to work their ground "off the wind" 

 or down wind ; whilst others are equally attached to working 

 against the wind. Both methods are to be recommended accord- 

 ing to circumstances, but light charges and a gun held straight 

 rarely fail to answer for Snipe, however worked. A hundred 

 couple a day have been known to fall to a single gun in India. 



Nidification. — In the British Islands the breeding season 

 of the Snipe commences towards the end of March, and fresh 

 eggs may be obtained through April and May. In more northern 

 latitudes the eggs, of course, are laid much later. During the 

 pairing season especially, and less frequently even up to the time 

 the young are hatched, the male Snipe spends a good deal of 

 his time in the air. All the old love of skulking in the maVshes 

 seems rehnquished for the time being, and high in air the bird 

 careers about uttering his love notes, and making the sound 

 popularly known as "drumming" or "bleating." These flights 

 may be witnessed at all hours of the day, but are most persistently 

 and frequently indulged in towards evening. The bird rises to a 

 considerable height, often uttering his note of tchik-tchak, tchik- 

 icliak, or tyik-tyuk, tyik-tyuk, as he goes. Then when at the 

 zenith of his course he suddenly descends with great velocity on 

 vibrating wings and outspread tail making the drumming noise. 

 Sometimes this descent is continued until the ground is reached, 

 but more often the bird stays its course at varying heights, the 

 drumming ceases, and he flies off in another direction uttering 

 his monotonous tchik-tchak as he goes. Much difference of 

 opinion has been expressed concerning the " drumming " of the 

 Snipe. Some writers assert that the sound is a vocal one, others 



