An English Snipe in Captivity. ' 
of^L th o e r . etainin / in captivity of any of the birds 
ol the .Scolopax family has been thought almost an 
impossibility, it may prove of interest to many of 
your readers to learn of an English or Wilson snipe- 
(the Scolopax Major) having been a captive and fed 
by man, and the bird kept alive for some four months 
To learn the habits of this bird, with its manners 
to hp ttlT f g t S i ? tc -; w p' at otlce be understood 
befor, ' lb "‘ w ’th the belief that this was never 
lefore accomplished, the undersigned was, perhaps 
S at *f Ive tban otherwise, and watching the 
birds habits was exceedingly interesting. 
ft was while shooting in the spring of the year I 
took from my dog s mouth this identical bird, and 
thinking it was dead, was about putting it in my 
pocket, when a strong fluttering made me aware of 
my mistake, and as the bird, upon examination 
seemed unhurt, further than having been stunned bv 
a shot that had just grazed its head, I carefully se- 
cured it with a napkin, allowing freedom for the mo- 
vements of its head, and so conveyed it to my homo, 
tlfen at Chatham, N. J. 
"‘This incident occurred in the early 60s, and while 
then only a boy, I believed as much, if not more en- 
thusiasm, was shown than that would be at the pres- 
ent time, for well I remember of the preparations that 
were made for this bird. The coachman was dispatched 
with a wagon for bogs, the gardener set digging for 
worms, while the pies or pastes or anything else that 
happened to be in the wire safe had to be removed, as 
this receptacle, when furnished as to my ideas, would 
contain all the requirements that were to be found 
on the meadows, and. in fact, about everything was 
here supplied, but .still when this bird died its death 
was apparently from starvation, and though it con- 
sumed over twice its own weight of worms (about 
the only diet) every day, when the bird was in good 
order. Although I tried, it seemed, everything 
that a snipe could find, while fresh water was sup- 
plied several times a day, with new bogs, etc., yet 
while the bird ate heartily, the daily loss of flesh was 
very noticeable. 
Just previous to the bird’s demise I found it took 
quite readily to bread and milk, but whether or not 
this food would have sustained life is a question that 
T am unprepared to answer beyond as is above stated, 
and it might have been the cause of the bird's death. 
(I mention this, as the only food swallowed, with the 
exception of the worms, and which, by the by, were, 
whether large or small, invariably swallowed after be- 
ing doubled.) The worms were quite often, but not 
always washed, and the earth they contained was 
ejected from them by . the snipehs squeezing process, 
and it was as interesting as instructive to walch 
the bird bore, etc. I had always yupposed_that each 
hole (so to speak) was made by the bird probing and 
withdrawing its bill each and every time, in accord- 
ance with the number of holes, but instead of this if 
on the first “put down” of the bill no worm is found, 
the bill is only partly drawn from the earth, and then 
pushed down again in a different direction, but the 
moment a worm would be touched the bird’s eye 
would twinkle, and become full of animation. The 
snipe would quickly make fast to its prey, and be- 
ing familiar and knowing just how to handle worms, 
they- never would break, as they would if I undertook 
to pull one out. 
. The bird’s apartments, before referred to. con- 
tained two pans, in one was kept water and in the 
other black en rt !i and worms; and from th ' first con- 
fining of this bird it never was particularly fright- 
ened. and ate heartily the first day T Cfiught it. while 
many were looking at it close hv. 1 should say fur- 
ther I after awhile cut one of its wings and the 
bird was allowed the freedom of the lawn, etc., and I 
afterward took it to the meadows, recapturing it with 
ease. Though this bird was never hooded — as were 
the “hawks” of old, when being broken or used for 
hunting purposes, and then returning to the hand that 
liberated them, with apparent joy — the snipe seemed 
always delighted to get back in its cage, and could 
be well called domesticated. While I have made sev- 
earl attempts since with wing-tipped birds, etc., in no 
other instance have I been in any way successful in 
keeping these birds alive, and though several ac- 
counts were writtten of this bird, when in eaptivity 
by the reporters of different papers. T never heard, 
before or since, of any of these birds being kept in 
captivity, and think many of your readers may read 
of this with interest. Possibly we may hear of sorm 
one that keeps them on hand and fattens them for 
the market. 
Milford Square, Pa. Percy C. Ohl. 
