58 SCOLOPAC1D.E. 



relative who was able to give us many a good day's sport, owing 

 to his being at the head of this branch of the management 

 of Woods and Forests, we have killed great numbers of 

 Snipes during the day, and at the end of our day's Avork, on 

 emptying our pockets, it frequently occurred that two or 

 three birds flew away, as if nothing had happened to them ; 

 these birds could consequently only have been stunned by 

 the blow of a single shot. 



The entire length of the Snipe is eleven inches and a half; 

 beak two inches ten lines ; the tarsus one inch two lines. 



The top of the head, back, and scapulars are black, 

 streaked with chestnut and yellow ochre ; wing-coverts 

 dusky, with edges of cream white ; the quills are black. 

 The chin and throat are white ; the sides of the face, neck, 

 and upper part of the breast are spotted with dusky-grey ; 

 and tinged with ferruginous brown ; and this latter colour 

 indicates the time of the year when the bird was killed 

 more than anything else. In autumn and winter, the rufous 

 colour predominates, and in the spring, the ground colour of 

 these parts is pure white ; on the thighs are numerous dusky 

 bars ; the lower part of the breast, the belly, and vent, are 

 white. The tail is black, with bright ferruginous bars ; the 

 tips of the feathers are white ; the beak is dark clove-brown, 

 and dusky at the tip ; its base is flesh-red. The colour of 

 the legs are pearl-grey, tinged with green. The eye is dusky. 



The egg figured 19. "3 is that of the Snipe. 



