64 THE WOODCOCK AND BRITISH SNIPE IN CEYLON. 



On the occurrence of Scolopax RusticuJa and Gallinago 

 Scolopacina in Ceylon, by W. Vincent Legge f. z. s. 



The occurrence of the woodcock and common snipe 

 in Ceylon, has been more than once recorded, on " Sports- 

 man's authority," by those naturalists who have given 

 their attention to the ornithology of the island,, in addition 

 to which, during the past ten years, the former bird has 

 been reported to have been killed several times in the 

 vicinity of Newera Eliya; unfortunately, however, the 

 specimens have never been preserved, falling to the lot of 

 the cook and not the ornithologist, and therefore, as re- 

 gards the ends of science they have been worthless. It 

 may be well, before I enter upon a notice and description 

 of the first scientifically identified examples of these inter- 

 esting birds, procured in Ceylon, to recapitulate and com- 

 ment upon, the remarks made by Messrs. Kelaart and 

 Layard, on the existence of the two species here, and 

 which are contained respectively in the Doctors Prodromus 

 Fauna Zeylankce and in the notes on Ceylon birds, pub- 

 lished by the latter gentleman in the 14th vol. of the 

 Annals and Magazine of Natural History, 1854. 



Kelaarfc says, P. no, Prod, F. Zey , " the woodcock, 

 M the same as the European species, is found on Ilorton 

 " Plains and occasionally at ! N. Eliya. We have not 

 " seen the bird, in the feathers, but we have seen a couple 

 " of birds, called " woodcocks" at a dinner table, which 

 "tasted uncommonly like the birds of that name. We 



