SNIPE 
99 
which drives so many birds across half the world 
twice a year, move southwards via the Philippines, 
missing, as it would seem, the coasts of China, to 
Northern Australia, and then work down along the 
eastern coastline until the farthest-flying reach Tas- 
mania about the beginning of September ; in the 
meanwhile birds have been " stopping off " and 
turning inland all the way down the shores of the 
Continent, so that during our Australian summer 
the Snipe is fairly widely distributed, and may be 
found in any district, but preferring timbered belts, 
where there is sufficient water and grass. 
Melbourne sportsmen assign the arrival of the 
Snipe to the period of the full moon nearest to the 
end of August, and assert that they travel by night 
only. The numbers in which they appear vary, the 
impression prevailing that of late years they have 
steadily decreased. First of all after their arrival 
they are found in open well-watered country ; later, 
as the summer heats increase, they favour the shelter 
of timber and the high grass that grows along the 
margins of swamps and fresh-water streams. They 
will suddenly appear in a place, and as suddenly 
leave it, so that the sportsman who hears the magic 
word " Snipe," knows that he must act promptly, 
even were no others on similar purpose bent. 
Doubtless the Snipe is the king of all our sporting 
birds ; he is certainly the hardest to shoot, though 
said not to " zig-zag " in his flight quite so much as 
his English relative. The average weight is 5 or 6 oz., 
