94 
SCOLOPAX GniSEA. 
many other peculiarities, a few of which, as far ss 
have myself observed, may he sketched as follows 
The red-hreasted snipe arrives on the sea coast of 
Jersejr early in April ; is seldom or never seen inland 
early in May, it proceeds to the north to breed, 
returns hy the latter part of July, or heffinning ^ 
August. During its stay here, it flies in flocks, son'^ 
times very high, and has then a loud and shrill whistle 
making many evolutions over the marshes; fornh'^ 
dividing, and reuniting. They sometimes settle insUy 
numbers, and so close together, that eighty-five haf 
been shot at one discharge of a musket. They spr''J* 
from the marshes with a loud twirling whistle, general? 
rising high, and making several circuitous manoeiivt^ 
in air, before they descend. They frequent the saf* 
bars and mud flats at low water, in search of food; aa*' 
being less suspicious of a boat than of a person on sbo)^ 
are easily approached by this medium, and shot dow 
in great numbers. They usually keep by thcmsel'''’ 
being very numerous ; are in excellent order for t? 
table in September; and, on the approach of winh^^’i 
retire to the south. 
I have frequently amused myself with the vario"! 
action of these birds : They fly very rapidly, sometii"^- 
wheeling, coursing and doubling along the surtac« , 
the marshes ; then shooting high in air, there separati'’| 
and forming in various bodies, uttering a kind f 
quivering whistle. Among many which I opened’’ 
May, were several females that had very little riifo'J’i 
below, and the backs were also much lighter, and k’t 
marbled with ferruginous. The eggs contained in th’’^ 
ovaries were some of them as large as garden 
Their stomachs contained masses of those small si'* 
shells that lie in millions on the salt marshes; 
wrinkles at the base of the bill, and the red breast, * ^ 
strong characters of this species, as also the racnil"'’’*' 
which unites the outer and middle toes together. i, 
The red-breasted snipe is ten inches and a half 
and eighteen inches in extent ; the bill, is about f'V 
inches and a quarter in length, straight, grooved, 
