THE WOODCOCK AND BRITISH SNIPE IN CEYLON- 67 



as they are. And there is no doubt whatever, that in most 

 of the instances referred to, the woodcock at any rate, had 

 been rightly identified by those who had shot it : further- 

 more it is very improbable indeed, looking at its geographi- 

 cal distribution, as regards Southern India, in the cold 

 season, viewed in connection with the remarkably ana- 

 logous avi-fauna of the Nilgherries and Newera Eliya, that 

 a single season passes without its visiting the higher parts 

 of our mountains. In some few instances, nevertheless, 

 the Wood snipe, G. Netnoricola, Hodgson, which I shall 

 presently refer to, has probably been mistaken for the 

 I* Cock" by those who were not acquainted with the dist- 

 inguishing characteristics of the latter, the most important 

 being the feathered tibia down to the tarsal joint, in contra* 

 distinction to the bare space above that part, which speci- 

 alizes at once all the members of the genus Gallinago or 

 Snipe. 



The example which has at last enabled us to speak 

 with certainty of the occurrence of the woodcock in 

 Ceylon, was shot last* year in February near Newera 

 Eliya, by Mr. Fisher of the Ceylon Civil Service, and was 

 given to a Planter by whom it was sent home not long 

 ago, to Mr. Holdsworth. Through the kindness of a 

 gentleman who was taking the skin to England, I was 

 enabled to examine it and take a description of it which I 

 propose to introduce here for the benefit and information 

 of those members of our Society who are sportsmen, and 

 whose experience of the bird at home, has perhaps not 



* I am unable to procure a copy of the paper in which the event 

 was noticed, and I cannot therefore, give the precise date. 



