EAST AFRICAN SNIPE 
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back and greyish underneath. It is difficult to understand the 
statement that the snake had not fangs ; possibly after death 
the fangs, being folded back, were buried among the folds of 
the soft flesh of the palate. 
Evidently more information is needed on the question, 
and any spitting snake which is killed should be preserved 
and sent in for examination and identification. 
EAST AFRICAN SNIPE 
By A. Blayney Percival 
After the heavy rain at the end of January 1914 I visited 
the swamp below Nairobi and found that the snipe were in. 
Though there were a fair number of the birds about they were 
very wild, and I only managed to bag a brace and a half : these 
turned out to be the Common European snipe. 
This is not the first time that I have found the common 
snipe of Europe outnumbering the African snipe, and I think 
that it would be most interesting if anyone shooting snipe 
would send in a note on his bag and give numbers of the various 
birds. It is a very simple matter to identify the four species 
found in British East Africa : 
The Great Snipe . — Large size. Belly barred the same as 
breast. (Visits Africa on migration — October to May.) 
African Snipe . — Dark colouration of back. Sixteen tail 
feathers and the outer ones white. Belly white. Jfe] 
European Snipe. — Fourteen tail feathers and outer 
feathers not white. Belly white. 
Jack Snipe . — Small size. Much smaller than any of the 
others. 
On January 29, 1914, 1 saw from the Hospital Hill, Nairobi, 
a large bird which at first puzzled me. It was larger than any 
falcon, yet had every appearance of one, the white of the head 
being very noticeable. As it was kind enough to come right 
over within easy gun-shot of where I was standing with my 
glasses, I saw that it was a Lammergeier ( Gypcetus ossifragus). 
Vol. IV.— No. 8. 
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