S N I 
- Snake, Rattle. A terrible kind of lerpents, 
of which Lin nfeus enumerates five fpecies, all na- 
tives of the New World, and highly veno'moiis. 
The. charafters of the genus are; that they have 
abdominal fcuta or fhields, and fubcaudal fcuta 
and fquamse, or fcales; and that their tails termi- 
nate in corneous rattles. See Rattle-Snake. 
Snake, Sand. An Englifli appellation for a 
'fyecies of Libyan ferpent, more ufually denomi- 
•nated ammodytes. See Akimodytes. 
Snake, Sea. A: name by which fome ichthy- 
-ologifts exprefs a filli of the eel kind, the cylin- ; 
dric mursna, having the tail naked and acute, ' 
-commonly five or fix feet long; with a furrowed \ 
■body, of an equal thicknefs till near the tail, j 
This fifh is a native of the Mediterranean; and it's j 
-fiefii is efteemed agreeable food. , i 
Pontoppidan, in his Hiftory of Norway, men- 1 
tions another marine animal, which he calls a Sea- i, 
Snake, of the moft prodigious dimenfions; and of 
-whofe exiflence we fhould be difpofed to doubt, 
■did not the veracity of the author, and the tefti- i 
•monies he has adduced, remove every kind of fu- | 
■Ipicion. [ 
Thefe animals, fome of which are faid to be no s 
lefs than fix hundred feet long, are very dange- 
rous to navigators, throwing themfelves over 
veflels of fome hundred tuns burden, and finking j 
them at once. Cafbor, however, is efteemed a ! 
certain prefervative againft their approach; the ! 
fmell of that drug being faid to keep them at a 
diftance. Pontoppidan fuppofes thefe creatures 
to be the leviathans of Holy Writ. i 
. Snake, Sleep. See Hypnoticus Serpens. 
- Snake, Spectacle. An appellation fome- 
times given to that terrible creature the cobras de 
-capello. 
SNIEGULKA. A Polifli name for a migra- 
tory bird in that country, which vtfits it only dur- 
ing the colder mionths of the year. 
The name imports the fnow-bird; and hence 
Rzaczinfki, in his Hiftory of Poland, calls it ni- 
valis avis. The natives, from the time of it's ap- 
pearance, prefage the mildnefs or feverity of the 
enfuing winter. 
SNIPE; the Scolopax Gallinago of Linnsus. 
A well known bird ; which, though generally one 
of paflage, fometimes remains in this country 
during the whole year, where it builds and breeds. 
It's young, indeed, are fo often feen in England, 
that Pennant quefi:ions whether it ever quits this 
iQand. Certain it is, that the Snipe breeds in the 
northern counties of Scotland. It frequents 
marfhy places; builds an inartificial neft among 
reeds or ruflies ; and lays four or five eggs of a 
dirty olive colour, marked with duflcy fpots. 
When thefe birds are alarmed, particularly dur- 
ing the feafon of incubation, they foar to a great 
height, making a peculiar bleating noife; and in 
their defcent darting v/ith vaft rapidity. The 
eock is obferved, while his niate fits on the ego-s, 
to poife himfck on his vyings nearly over the fpor, 
fometimes making a whiftiing, and fometimes a 
drumming, noife. Their food feems to be of the 
fame nature with that of v/oodcocks; and they 
are nativ^ s ol' all climates, and each quarter of the 
globe. The brcaft and beliy of the Snipe are of a 
dull white colour; the back is covered with long 
glumage, variegated v/ith black and reddifh 
rown ; the tail is fhort, and hid by the wings 
when foi led; a line of reddifh white runs along 
the middle of the head ; and the beak is about 
s o c 
two inches and a half long, black at the ex{f> 
mity, and befet with feveral rough tubercles. 
Snipes are eafily taken, by means of lime-twigs, 
in the following manner: Take fifty or fixty 
birchen twigs; lime them all v/ell together; and 
place them in fituations frequented by thefe birds, 
about a yard diftant from each other. Thefe 
twigs are not to be placed perpendicularly in the 
ground, butfioping, fome oneway, and fome an- 
other. This done, the fportfman is to retire to 
fome difcance, and wait the arrival of his gaine. 
When the birds fly near the twigs, they naturally 
take a fweep round the earth; and, by this means, 
fome of them will infallibly be entangled. Whea 
the firft Snipe is taken, the fportfman mufi: not 
run up to fecure it; for it will fometimes feed 
quietly, with the twig under It's wing; and the 
fight of one frequently allures others to the fam.e 
place. When three or four are entangled, they 
may be taken, leaving one as a decoy ;^ and thus 
the fport may be continued as long as there are 
any Snipes in the vicinity. 
Snipe, Great. This fpecies, which is rarely 
feen in England, weighs eight ounces : the head 
is longitudinally divided by a teftaceous line, 
bounded on each fide by another of black ; and 
above and beneath each eye there are fimilar lines. 
The neck and breaft are of a yellowifh white hue, 
beautifully marked with femicircular black lines ; 
the belly is adorned with cordated fpots ; and the 
fides are undulated with black. The back, the 
coverts of the wings, and the fcapulars, are tefta- 
ceous, fpotted with black, and edged with white; 
the primaries are dufky ; the tail is ruft-coloured, 
barred with black ; and the legs are black. 
Snipe, Jack. An appellation by which orni- 
thologies fometimes exprefs a Snipe common in 
Britain, about half the fize of the common Snipe, 
or fcolopax gallinago. See Jack Snipe. 
Snipe, Mire. A provincial name for the bit- 
tern ; called alfo the mire drum. See Bittern. 
SNOW-BIRD ; the Emberiza Nivalis of Lin- 
naeus. This bird, which is a native of Hudfon's 
Bay, has a broWn-coloured bill, with a black 
point ; the lower mandible has an angle on each 
fide, which is received into correfponding cavities 
on the fide of the upper mandible; and in the 
roof of the mouth there is a protuberance, as ia 
the bunting and yellow hammer. The head, 
neck, and whole under fide of the bird, are white, 
except a fmall black fpot on the hinder part of 
the head. The back, and feathers immediately 
covering the tail, are black ; and the rump be- 
tween them is white. A few of the quills next 
the back are black, the fucceeding ones beino- 
white ; and the longefl: or extreme ones are black 
at their tips, and white at their bottoms. All 
the coverts of the wings are white, except a few 
falling over the black quills near the back. The 
tail is compofed of twelve feathers, the fix mid- 
dlemofl: of which are black, and the three extreme 
ones on each fide white, with a finall dafh of 
black dov/n their lhafts at the tips; and the legs^ 
feet, and claws, are black. 
It feems probable that this bird afilimes it^s 
white colours at the approach of winter only: at 
other feafons of the year, it's plumage is diff^erent. 
SOCO. A Brazilian bird of the ardea kind; 
the Ardea Brazilienfis of Linn^us. It is fin- 
gularly remarkable for the extreme length of 
it's neck; it is finaller than the common heron- 
it's beak is ftrongj ftraight, and fharp; it's tai].i$ 
Ihort; 
