192 SNIPE. 



under mandible; the neck, half the back, and scapulars chocolate 

 brown, the feathers streaked on the sides with clay-colour, and barred 

 with ferruginous; the lower part of the back brown, crossed with 

 numerous greyish white lines; tail coverts long, pale rufous clay- 

 colour, barred with black brown, and cover the tail for three-fourths 

 of its length ; the tail when spread out, is rounded at the end ; the 

 eight middle feathers dusky for three-fourths of the length from the 

 base, the remainder rufous, with two or three bars of black ; but 

 the four interior are deep rufous, and the two on each side much 

 paler; the two exterior wholly black and white in alternate bars; 

 wing coverts black brown, spotted with rufous white, the rest of the 

 wing dusky black ; all but the greater quills tipped with white; 

 beneath the wings beautifully barred with white and dusky; the 

 breast, belly, and vent, crossed with numerous dusky bars, inclined 

 to zigzag on the sides ; legs pale bluish brown, and bare above the 

 knee for half an inch. 



The Great Snipe is rarely seen in this kingdom ; six or eight 

 times to our knowledge being the utmost that it has been met with :* 

 once in Wiltshire, on the Avon ; another in Lancashire, in the 

 Leverian Museum ; a third in Kent; and a fourth shot in Suffolk, in 

 my own collection. We have an account also of one shot in Norfolk, 

 in 1791 ; and a second a few years since ; another near Salisbury, in 

 1798 ; and again near Horsham, in Sussex.f 



Inhabits the Arctic Regions of Siberia, and we believe, in small 

 numbers, in Germany, throughout ; is ranked among the Prussian 

 birds, where it is said to be found with the Woodcock :J the eggs 

 ferruginous, with great brown spots, more confluent at the pointed 

 end. Mr. Abbot informs me that it inhabits South Carolina, and 

 frequents the wet, marshy places, and the sides of the ponds in 

 Georgia. 



* It is not improbable, that this bird may be more often met with than is supposed ; as 

 from its similitude to the Common Snipe, it may easily pass for a large Vatiety of that bird. 

 t Lin. Trans, iv. p. 8. & 21 . J Called Doppel Schnepfe. 



