468 snipe. 



about the breast and neck, especially the black feathers tipped with 

 white, denoting- the approach of those bands, so conspicuously beautiful 

 in the adult. The feathers on the crown are more rufous, and the crest 

 longer than in the female, and the patch on the wing- is not pure white, 

 but mottled with brown. The secondary quills and their greater coverts 

 are black, slightly tipped with white, making two slender white lines 

 across that part of the wings. Both these birds had the usual number 

 of tail feathers, (sixteen,) and their legs and toes equally of a blue grey 

 colour, with dusky webs. The old bird weighed twenty-four ounces, 

 and measured eighteen inches ; the young one sixteen ounces, and 

 seventeen inches in length. 



" The trachea, or windpipe of this species," says Latham, " is 

 smallest near the upper part, but enlarges as it approaches towards the 

 middle, from whence to the bottom it continues nearly of equal dimen- 

 sions, the texture consisting of completely bony rings, with scarcely 

 any cartilage intervening ; at the bottom is a bony cavity as in the 

 others, smaller in proportion, and differing in shape, the greater ex- 

 panse being from side to side ; whereas in the other it is almost upwards 

 and downwards ; on one side is a round hole, covered by a drum-like 

 membrane, and on the opposite an oval smooth hollow bone uniting 

 with it : from the bottom arises the bronchial tubes. 



This is by far the most plentiful species of merganser that frequents 

 our coasts and fresh waters in the winter ; but we believe it never has 

 been known to breed in this country, seeming to be confined to the 

 arctic regions of both continents, where it builds its nest on the banks 

 of lakes and rivers, laying from eight to twelve white eggs.* 



SNAKE BIRD.— A name for the Wryneck. 



SNIPE. — *A genus of birds belonging to the Waders (Grallatores, 

 Illiger.)* 



SNIPE (Scolopaa? gallinago, Linnaeus.) 



Scolopax Gallinago, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 244. l.—Gmel. Syst. 2. p. 662 — Lath. Ind. 

 Orn. 2. p. 715. 6.— Rail, Syn. p. 105. A. 2.— Will. p. 214. t. 53.— Briss. 5. p. 



298. 2.— lb. 8vo. 2. p. 285 Temm. Man. d'Orn. 2. p. 616.—Flem. Br. Anim. 



p. 106.— Becassine, Buff. Ois. 7. p. 483. t. 26 Snipe, or Snite, Br. Zool. 2. 



No. 187. t. 68.— Ib. fol. 121.— Arct. Zool. 2. No. 366 Will. (Angl.) p. 290. 



t. 53 Albin, 1. t. 71 White's Hist. Selb. p. 29.— Lath. Syn. 5. p. 134. 6. 



—Lewins Br. Birds, 4. 1. 158. — Wale. Syn. 2. 1. 138 Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 14. 



The weight of this species is about four ounces ; length near twelve 



inches ; the bill three inches long, dusky ; in some the base is lighter, 



flattish, and rough at the end ; irides dusky ; crown of the head black, 



with a longitudinal light rufous line down the middle ; from the base 



of the upper mandible another line of the same colour passes on each 



side over the eyes ; between the bill and eye is a dusky line ; the throat 



