the Woodcock and British snipe in ceylon. 



65 



■" have no doubt of its existence in the Island, as several 

 " English sportsmen assured us of their having shot it." 

 So much for the woodcock. With regard to its smaller 

 ally, the Common* or British snipe, he remarks in the same 

 paragraph : " the English snipe is found in some of the 

 " highland districts : we have seen a few at N. Eliya." It 

 is doubtful in what sense this concluding sentence is to be 

 taken, as, farther on, in his list of the birds found in 

 Ceylon, P. 135, Kelaart gives both G. Scolopacinus and 

 G. Gdlinula (the jack snipe) with an asterisk, and says in 

 a foot note at the bottom of the page, " we have only 

 sportsmen's authority for the species of snipe, marked 

 with an asterisk " leading I would surmise, to the inference 

 that he had only seen, or thought he had seen, the^bird on the 

 wing, and not handled it in the flesh, and this is the more 

 likely, when we consider that he occupied himself much 

 more with reptiles and animals than with birds. Layard 

 floe, cit.j p. 266^ depends chiefly on Kelaart's evidence, 

 and says but little in favour of the occurrence, here, of 

 either of the birds in question. Of the woodcock he re- 

 marks as follows : — " The woodcock has been shot several 

 " times at Newera Eliya, but has never fallen under the 

 " notice of either Dr. Kelaart or myself :" and then quotes 

 the Doctor's words, vide supra. 



* When remarking on the prevalence of the Indian snipe, in this 

 Island, to the exclusion of the European species, I have so often been 

 met with astonishment on the part of sportsmen and others, under 

 the impression that our winter friend was identical with the bird found 

 at home, it may perhaps be as well to remark here that the two species 

 are very different indeed although to the casual observer they may 

 seem to be the same, the Indian bird differing chiefly in the markings 

 of the flank and under wing coverts and in the structure of its tail, 

 from the remarkable " pin" feathers of 'which, it takes its specific name 

 of Stenura or " Pintail" 



