THE BROWN-BACK 145 
marsh gunning, but for myself, my shooting 
ability furnishes all the charm of uncertainty 
needed. 
THE BROWN-BACK. DOWITCHER. 
RED-BREASTED SNIPE. 
(Macrorhamphus griseus.) 
At certain seasons this is a common bird all 
along the Atlantic coast line, choosing the long 
stretches of sandy beach rather than the home 
of Wilson’s snipe in fresh water bog and salt 
marsh. These birds are but little known in 
New England save on the seashore, where dur- 
ing the migrations they are for a few days 
abundant, then are gone and nothing more is 
seen of them until the next flight arrives. They 
appear on our beaches on their northward jour- 
ney sometimes during the latter half of April 
though oftener late in May, and stay with us 
but a day or so at most, returning to the south 
more leisurely, generally in August. They 
breed far away in the north and in their fall 
migrations often follow the retreating sun into 
the southern hemisphere, journeying southward 
to Brazil. 
