ZOOLOGY. 81 



note-book has the following: "June 3rd, 1853, — Mr. A. 

 Hinson sent me a very fine specimen of this bird, which he 

 had shot about an hour previously, in the pond near War- 

 wick Church. This bird had been noticed wading about 

 that piece of water for two or three days, and was kUled at 

 my particular request. It is the first instance' on record of 

 its having been met with in the Bermudas. It measured 

 13io inches in length, by 26io inches ia extent ; bill, to 

 the gape 2io inches ; naked portion of the tibia, 3 inches ; 

 tarsi, 4/o inches. In the markings of the plumage, &c., this 

 curious bird agreed perfectly with Wilson's account, ex- 

 cepting that the darker parts appeared to be of a hlach- 

 purple, and the tail, a light-drab, glossed with the same 

 black-purple towards the extremity. 



It proved, on dissection, to be a male bird, and was ex- 

 tremely fat." 



American Snipe (Scolapax Wilsonii). Our limited know- 

 ledge of the geographical distribution of this bird compels 

 us to suppose that it is confined to the continents of North 

 and South America. Breeding in high northern latitudes, 

 it migrates in immense numbers to the south; and that 

 many of these traverse the ocean in their flight, is proved by 

 the regularity with which they visit the marshes of Bermuda. 



In the month of September, when the heat is still tropical, 

 the snipe sometimes appears in those islands as early as the 

 13th of that month ; in other seasons they are not met with 

 untH the commencement of October. A few couple are 

 sometimes kiUed in April and May, but during the summer 

 months it is never seen. In the season of 1846 — 7, a 

 hundred couple of snipe were shot by the officers of the 

 20th Eegiment, stationed at Hamilton, and, in that of 



