132 FEATHERED GAME 
formance but once, and then in the legitimate 
shooting season. It was a bright October day 
when a single Snipe, the sole dweller in the 
marsh-land near by, entertained me in some- 
thing after this manner: The bird mounted 
upward fully one hundred yards, flying at great 
speed in wide circles, then suddenly dropped 
like a stone almost to the earth, his wings half 
closed and moving rapidly. This was repeated 
several times. The ‘‘drumming’’ sound is sup- 
posed to be due to the action of the air upon 
the stiff wing quills in their rapid motion, and 
the music thus produced is very like that made 
by the small boy when ‘‘humming a nail.’’ At 
times a number of Snipe join together in this 
performance. When this occurs they are apt 
to be very wild and difficult of approach, so we 
are told. 
The Snipe nests in some dry tussock in the 
midst of the marsh, usually laying four eggs, 
of a grayish green color, splashed with dark 
brown spots. The young generally appear dur- 
ing the latter half of June. A few of these 
birds breed in the extensive marshes about the 
Maine lakes, wandering into the tide-waters 
late in September, but the best snipe shooting 
