486 
Ml!. H. STEVENSON ON THE COMMON SNIPE. 
ascertain if these vocal notes would be repeated later in the 
season, and at the same early hours, I again visited Brundall on 
the 25th of June. 
By 5 a.m. the next morning I heard Snipes close to the house, 
hying round over tlie marshes and uttering the same chuka, 
chuka note incessantly, and now and then drumming, hut not 
often. At 9 p.m. of the same day, I heard the same note, and 
occasionally drumming, when unable to distinguish the birds, and 
when big bats were on the wing, — (this reminds me of a visit to 
Horning, some years back, in the month of April, when walking 
out between ten and eleven o’clock on a bright starlight night, 
Snipes were drumming all over the marshes, quite out of sight, 
but though a curious buzzing sound occurred frequently, I heard 
no vocal note that I can at all remember). 
The next morning when walking to Coldham Hall, at G.30 a.m., 
three Snijjes rose from a marsh on the left, which I watched, when 
sheltered by a tree. They flew low over the marshes and dykes 
with a wide range, and sometimes only a few feet off the ground, 
flying generally two together and one behind, or one leading, as the 
case might be. In turning sharply they passed me, again and 
again, within thirty yards, but never mounted up. At intervals 
the chuka, chuka, note was uttered loudly, on the Aving, but 
seldom when flying on a level course. This was heard chiefly 
when they turned in flight, or changed places in their morning’s 
round. Suddenly they stopped about the middle of a marsh, and 
a pair dropped, uttering the same note (one or both), into the 
thick herbage, and the third also Avithin a few yards, by Avhich 
I inferred that the first Avere juale and female, and dropped to 
their eggs, the third probably a male AA'liose mate Avas sitting on 
eggs or young. Whether both sexes emit the same Amcal note 
I cannot say. 
Beturning from Coldham I heard a Snipe drumming, and 
Avatched it a long time. The sound Avas heard Avith the least 
possible “ fall,” and often a considerable “ fall ” occurred without 
any sound. Once it descended iiearly oiAposite to me, Avithin a 
feAv feet of the marsh, Avhere no doubt its nest Avas, but seeing me, 
again ascended, and though I gradually increased the distance from 
the spot it seemed about to alight on, it continued to fly round and 
round, sometinuis looking no bigger than a Sand Jilartin high up in 
