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A somewhat peculiar habit of the Snipe, which has given rise to considerable discussion, is 

 that of its occasionally perching on fences or trees. Mr. Stevenson, who says that he believes 

 that this habit is confined entirely to the breeding-season, gives instances of Snipes having been 

 seen to perch on a notice-board, the branch of a tree, a flagstaff, &c; and Messrs. Seebohm and 

 Harvie-Brown write (Ibis, 1876, p. 310) : — -"We were not a little surprised when we first became 

 acquainted with the arboreal habits of the Snipe atHabariki, and saw one of those birds perched, 

 seventy feet from the ground, on the topmost upright twig of a bare larch, where, one would 

 have thought, it could scarcely find sufficient foothold. With its head lower than its body and 

 tail, it sat there, uttering at intervals the curious double 'clucking' note, tjick-tjuck, tjick-tjuck, 

 whilst others of the same species were 'drumming' high in air over the marsh. To put all 

 beyond a doubt, Harvie-Brown shot one in this peculiar position. Nor is the Common Snipe 

 the only bird which, not practising the habit with us, we found perching freely in Northern 

 Russia : the Snow-Bunting and Pipits have already been instanced ; and we may also mention 

 the Common Gull, as will be seen under the notice of that species further on. The Curlew 

 also was seen to perch on bushes and trees at Sujma, near Archangel, by Alston and Harvie- 

 Brown in 1872 (Ibis, 1873, p. 70). There can be little doubt, we imagine, that this habit was 

 induced in the first instance by the flooding of great tracts of country by the annual overflow of 

 the rivers in spring, just at the time of the passage of the migratory flights, and, further, that 

 what was originally forced upon them has become, by use, a favourite habit." 



The Common Snipe is subject to considerable variation both in size and coloration, and, 

 curiously enough, also in the number of the tail-feathers. As a rule, the number of rectrices 

 varies from fourteen to sixteen ; but sometimes this bird is said to have only twelve. The tail is 

 usually considerably rounded ; but in some very large rufous dark-coloured examples the lateral 

 rectrices are much longer than usual, giving the tail a square appearance. This form has been 

 described as distinct by Gould under the name of Gallinago russata. Kaup (I. c.) described 

 under the name of Scolopax brehmii the form with sixteen tail-feathers as distinct ; but it is now 

 generally conceded that this form is not deserving of specific rank. Pale varieties of our Common 

 Snipe are sometimes met with, but are of rare occurrence. Mr. Stevenson mentions a pure 

 white one, and one which on a pure white ground had the usual markings delicately traced in 

 light and dark shades of buff; and Mr. J. H. Gurney, jun., records (Zoologist, 1868, p. 1459) a 

 fawn-coloured variety. The most peculiar and one of the rarest is a melanoid variety which has 

 been raised to specific rank under the name of Scolopax sabinii, and which is even now by some 

 naturalists considered to be distinct from our Common Snipe. So far as I can ascertain, how- 

 ever, I quite agree with Professor Newton that it is merely a melanism of the Common Snipe, 

 and probably a bird of the year, which accounts for the peculiarity remarked by Mr. Harting, 

 viz. that the feathers of the back are more ovate than in ordinary adult examples of Gallinago 

 ccelestis. I have carefully examined the specimens which Mr. Harting had; and I am 

 indebted to my friend Mr. W. E. Gumbleton for the loan of a very fine specimen, which has 

 been used in the illustration of this form given herewith. This bird was shot by Mr. John E. 

 Barrett, of Carrieganass Castle, Bantry, who, on being applied to for particulars, wrote, " I shot 

 the Snipe in one of the small bogs in Whiddy Island, Bantry Bay, in January 1868 or 1869. 

 On getting up before my pointer, it seemed to fly more steadily and slowly than the Common 



