153 



SABINE'S SNIPE. 



BLACK SNIPE. 



Scolopax Sabini, ...... Yigoes. 



Becassine Sabine, ....... Temioxce. 



Seohpax. Skohps — A stake sharpened at one end, from the form of its bill. Sabini — Sabine's. 



The first specimen of this Snipe which is recorded as having been obtained in these 

 countries, was shot by the Reverend Charles Doyne, of Portarlington, on the 22nd. 

 of August, 1822, in Ireland, in Queen's County. With respect to this bird, Mr. !N". 

 A. Vigors says, "This species is at once distinguished from every other European species 

 of Scolopax, by the total absence of white from its plumage, or of any of those lighter 

 tints of ferruginous yellow, which extend more or less in stripes along the head and 

 back of them all. In this respect, it exhibits a strong resemblance to the Scolopax 

 saturata of Dr. Horsfield, from which, however, it sufficiently differs in its general 

 proportions; and I find no description of any other extra European species of true 

 Scolopax which at all approaches it in this character of its plumage. In the number 

 of the tail feathers again, which amounts to twelve, it differs from Scolopax major, 

 which has sixteen, and from Scolopax gallinago, which has fourteen: it agrees, however, 

 in this point with Scolopax gallinula, which also has but twelve : but it never can be 

 confounded with that bird, from the great disproportion between the essential characters 

 of both; the bill alone of S. Sabini exceeding that of the latter species by one-third of 

 its length. In the relative length and strength of the tarsi, it equally differs from all. 

 These members, although stouter than those of S. gallinago fall short of them by three- 

 twentieths of an inch ; they are much weaker, on the other hand, than those of & major, 

 although they nearly equal them in length. In general appearance it bears a greater 

 resemblance to S. rusticola, than to the other European Scolopaces, but it may immediately 

 be recognised as belonging to a different station in the genus ; the two exterior toes being 

 united at the base for a short distance, as in the greater number of the congeneric species ; 

 while those of & rusticola are divided to the origin." 



A second specimen was shot by Captain Bonham, of the 10th. Hussars, who wrote the 



