moved from fide to fide ; it procures its food, confifting prin- 
cipally of fmall worms, by thrufting its bill into the moift 
ground, the worms being thus difturbed make for the furface, 
where they are immediately devoured. 
When alarmed, the Snipe utters a flirill whiftle, and rifes 
with confiderable noife ; it flies with great fwiftnefs, and after 
having been roufed two or three times it is difficult to get 
within Ihot. 
A few of this fpecies breed annually with us, but the bulk 
of them quit this country about March or April; we have 
never been fo fortunate as to meet with the neft or young, 
we fhall therefore quote the following account from Mr. 
Montague: We have frequently taken the young before 
they could fly, in the north of England and in Scotland. Near 
Penryn, in Cornwall, there is a marih where feveral breed 
annually, and where we have have taken their eggs, which 
are four in number, of an olivaceous colour, blotched and 
fpotted with rufous-brown ; fome with duflcy blotches at the 
larger end and fome few elfewhere. 
" The neft is made of the materials around it, coarfe grafs, 
and fometimes heath . It is placed on a ftump or dry fpot near 
a fplalh or fwampy place ; the eggs like thofe of the lapwing 
are placed invariably with their fmaller ends inwards, being 
much pointed ; their weight three drams and a half. In the 
breeding feafon the Snipe changes its note entirely from that 
it makes in th© winter. The male will keep on wing for an 
hour together, mounting like a lark, uttering a fhrill piping 
noife. 
