208 THE GAME BIEDS AND WILD FOWL 



by the unsteady, wavering movements that are so remarkable a feature in that of 

 the true Snipes. The usual note of the Eed-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 ; whilst in the love season the male utters a musical trill, usually 

 whilst hovering above his mate on quivering wings. The food of this bird con- 

 sists 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 Eed-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 are 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 lined 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 bufhsh-brown, blotched and spotted with 

 dark reddish-brown, and with underlying markings of pale greyish-brown. Some- 

 times a few very dark streaks occur. They are pyriform, and measure on an 

 average 1'7 inch in length by 1'15 inch in breadth. One brood only is reared in 

 the year, and as soon as the young can fly they begin to draw southwards with 

 their parents on their way to their winter quarters. 



Diagnostic characters. — Macrorhamphus, with no web between the 

 middle and inner toes, .and with the lower back much whiter than the mantle. 

 Length, 10 to 11 inches. 



