Birds. 3731 



The mottled part of its plumage is not only much darker, and of a 

 very different colour from any specimen of the common snipe with 

 which it has been compared, but also commences close to the base of 

 the under mandible, and is continued without intermission over the 

 breast-bone, leaving the belly alone white ; each of the breast-fea- 

 thers is marked with two transverse bars of black on a white ground, 

 extending through the whole breadth of the plume ; the white part of 

 the belly is also of an ashy tinge, exhibiting none of that brilliant pu- 

 rity so conspicuous in the common snipe. The plumage of the back 

 and wings also differs widely from the ordinary varieties of the com- 

 mon snipe. The scapular feathers are deep black, mottled with nar- 

 row markings of dark red : they possess the usual longitudinal buff 

 stripe, but towards the wings are narrowly margined with ashy white, 

 in lieu of the wide buff-coloured marks generally seen. In this part 

 of its plumage, however, the snipe is so liable to vary as to offer no 

 distinctive characters. The bare portion of the tibia in this bird is 

 much shorter than in any specimen of the common snipe which I 

 have measured, as may be seen by the subjoined dimensions of three 

 specimens of the latter bird in our collection. 



The chief point of distinction lies, of course in the tail, and here, 

 also, the difference is greater than has yet been noticed ; not only is 

 the number of these feathers less by two than in the common snipe, 

 but the feathers themselves differ both in shape and size from the 

 corresponding plumes of that species. In S. Delamotti the first tail- 

 feather is nearly half an inch shorter than the shortest of the corre- 

 sponding feathers in the specimens of the common snipe before men- 

 tioned : the same difference prevails throughout the tail, the feathers 

 are also broader and much rounder at the point. 



The following table will show more plainly the differences in the 

 parts I have alluded to. 



Common Snipe, three specimens. S. Delamotti. 



in. lin. in. lin. in. tin. in. lin. 



Length of wing from the carpal joint) , „ k «*i * i am 



to the point of the 1st quill-feather,] ° d "' ° Z * "' & l "' 4 U 



Bill from base 3 ... 2 11£ ... 2 4 ... 2 7\ 



First tail-feather 2 4 ... 2 2 ... 2 \\ ... 1 %\ 



Bare part of tibia „ 7\ ... „ 6f ... „ 6f ... „ 4f 



I have thus carefully examined this bird, not with any predetermi- 

 nation to convince myself of its distinctness as a species, but with the 

 simple intention of sifting the matter thoroughly in order to attain as 

 nearly as might be to a true conclusion. Though I have all along made 

 use of the term " species," for lack of a more appropriate word, I am 



