MALAYAN OKNITHOLOGY. 185 



ticular seasons. I never heard of it nesting in the peninsula, and 

 never even saw it except daring the north-east monsoon, when it is 

 fairly plentiful, frequenting the same ground as the common Pin- 

 tail. I have shot Painted Snipe in the north of Perak during the 

 months of January, February, and March, and found them in con- 

 siderable numbers further south during October. 



Out of a bag of twenty couple of Snipe shot in Province Welles- 

 ley on November 9, more than half were of the Painted species. 

 They seem to collect in small parties ; for when, one is flushed two 

 or three more are generally to be found somewhere near ; but they 

 rise with a heavy Owl-like flap, as a rule settling again within forty 

 or fifty yards, Thus offering an easy mark, and being moreover 

 poor eating, they are scarcely worth shooting. 



The chief characteristics of the Painted Snipe are the beautiful 

 ocellated plumage and the Curlew-like bill, curved downwards at the 

 tip, also shorter than that of the common Snipe. The female, with 

 the handsome chestnut throat, is larger and more brightly-coloured 

 than the male. 



Gallinago scolopacina (Bp.). 



Compared with the Pintal species, the common European Snipe 

 is rare in the Malay States. 



Limosa ^egocephala (Linn.). 



Personally I did not meet with this Grodwit ; but Mr. Davison 

 showed me a specimen caught with birdlime, at the same time as 

 two Whiinbrel, on the rocks off Changi, on the north coast of 

 Singapore. 



Nttmenius aequata (Linn.). The Curlew. 



Plentiful along the coasts during the north-east monsoon. I shot 

 a few off Changi and among the islands in the Johor Straits, but 

 found them just as well able to take care of themselves, and just as 

 hard to get at, as in cooler climes. 



Referring to a visit I made during November to Pulau Nongsa, 

 a small island off the south coast of Singapore, in my note-book is : — 



" The tide being very low, a broad belt of coral-reef surrounded 

 the island, affording feeding-grounds to hundreds of shore-birds of 

 all kinds : so we landed, or rather waded ashore, in hopes of getting 

 at the Curlew and Plover, of which we saw a great many ; but, as 



