330 
SNIPE. 
them running about among the springs and watery thickets. I was told 
by the inhabitants, that they generally disappeared early in the spring. 
On the twentieth of March I found these birds extremely numerous on 
the borders of the ponds near Louisville, Kentucky ; and also in the 
neighborhood of Lexington in the same state, as late as the tenth of 
April. I was told by several people, that they are abundant in the 
Illinois country, up as far as Lake Michigan. They arc but seldom 
seen in Pennsylvania during the summer, but are occasionally met with 
in considerable numbers on their return in autumn, along the whole 
eastern side of the Alleghany, from the sea to the mountains. They 
have the same soaring irregular flight in the air in gloomy weather as 
the Snipe of Europe ; the same bleating note, and occasional rapid 
descent ; spring from the marshes with the like feeble squeak ; and in 
every respect resemble the common Snipe of Britain, except in being 
about an inch less ; and in having sixteen feathers in the tail instead of 
fourteen, the number said by Bewick to be in that of Europe. From 
these circumstances, we must either conclude this to be a different 
species, or partially changed by difference of climate ; the former 
appears to me the more probable opinion of the two. 
These birds abound in the meadows, and low grounds, along our 
large rivers, particularly those that border the Schuylkill and Delaware, 
from the tenth of March to the middle of April, and sometimes later, 
and are eagerly sought after by many of our gunners. The nature of 
the grounds, however, which these birds frequent, the coldness of the 
season, and peculiar shyness and agility of the game, render this 
amusement attractive only to the most dexterous, active, and eager of 
our sportsmen. 
The Snipe is eleven inches long, and seventeen inches in extent ; the 
bill is more than two inches and a half long, fluted lengthwise, of a 
brown color, and black towards the tip, where it is very smooth while 
the bird is alive, but soon after it is killed becomes dimpled like the 
end of a thimble ; crown black, divided by an irregular line of pale 
brown ; another broader one of the same tint passes over each eye ; 
from the bill to the eye there is a narrow dusky line ; neck, and upper 
part of the breast, pale brown, variegated with touches of white and 
dusky ; chin pale ; back and scapulars deep velvety black, the latter 
elegantly marbled with waving lines of ferruginous, and broadly edged 
exteriorly with white ; wings plain dusky, all the feathers, as well as 
those of the coverts, tipped with white ; shoulder of the wing deep 
dusky brown, exterior quill edged with white ; tail-coverts long, reaching 
within three-quarters of an inch of the tip, and of a pale rust color 
spotted with black ; tail rounded, deep black, ending in a bar of bright 
ferruginous, crossed with a narrow waving line of black, and tipped 
with whitish ; belly pure white ; sides barred with dusky ; legs and feet 
