CONCORD 
1909 
19 
Wilson * s 
Snipe 
arums in 
broad 
day li ght 
Early this morning before the east wind started, 
the river v/as perfectly calm and thinly veiled in mist, 
the sky filled with fleecy clouds. The sun shone dimly 
at intervals through both cloud and mist. These conditions 
lasted up to about 8.30.At 7.30 I heard a Snipe drumming in 
the direction of Great Meadow. He kept it up without ces¬ 
sation for more than half an hour, usually drumming about 
every eight seconds, although the intervals of silence were 
sometimes double that length. The humming sound ordinarily 
lasted about three or four seconds at each repetition. Al¬ 
though I paddled up river for some distance and thereby 
got r at her near where the bird was performing, I could not 
see him, partly because of the misty atmosphere and partly 
because there were so many Swallov/s flying on the meadow. 
About 5 P. M. I heard the Snipe drumming again. A t 
this time the air was perfectly clear, the sky filled with 
fleecy clouds through which the sun shone at intervals. I 
started up river in a canoe at once. On reaching Beaver 
Dam Lagoon I ran the canoe into the grass for the Snipe 
seemed to be not far off. For many minutes I looked for 
him in vain, although twice he came nearly over me. The 
bright light in the sky dazzled my eyes and the Swallows 
and Swifts bothered me. Moreover I was looking, as I 
proved, too low down$for when at length I caught sight of 
the Snipe he was flying at a great height, fully five hun¬ 
dred feet, I thought, above the meadow and only just beneath 
