32 
THE NATURALIST AND COLLECTOR 
Wilson’s Snipe. 
(Gallinago Wilsonii.) 
I T is distributed throughout our 
country, extending its migrations 
northward during the summer far 
beyond the limits of the United States. 
They go to the southern States, where 
they pass the winter, in the months of 
September and October, and return 
ag*ain in March and April, rarely halt¬ 
ing to breed within the United States. 
In Nova Scotia, where it frequently 
incubates, it begins to lay its eggs in 
June, choosing the swampy grounds as 
most suitable for the purpose, since 
there it is not liable to be disturbed, 
and also as it is in such spots that it is 
surrounded by an abundance of its 
favorite food. 
The nestis a mere hollow in the moss 
and in this are deposited four eggs with 
their small ends down, olive in color, 
thickly spotted with light and dark 
brown. 
The young are at first covered with 
down of a brownish tinge, and leave 
the nest as soon as hatched, feeding at 
fii-st upon such small insects as they 
may find upon the surface of the mire, 
until their bills have received sufficient 
strength to enable them to probe deep¬ 
er into the ground, at which operation 
they soon become very expert. 
In the western part of the United 
States the English snipe arrives from 
its breeding ground in the north dur¬ 
ing the latter part of September, and 
immediately seeks the meadows, the 
banks of the rivers, and the borders of 
ponds. Often in such localities they 
are to be met with in great numbers, 
the ground seeming to be alive with 
them, as they rise when disturbed in 
flocks from six to thirty or more. 
When they take wing they utter a 
grating noise resembling scaipe, scaipe, 
and should the day be windy they will 
fly in an irregular zigzag course, very 
trying to an inexperienced marksman, 
until they are nearly out of gunshot, 
when they proceed in a more direct 
manner. If they should be wild, as is 
almost always the case on rainy, bois¬ 
terous days, at the report of dal gun, 
dozens will rise in all directions, and 
many of them, after performing a very 
eccentric flight, sometimes high in the 
air, will pitch headlong with great ve¬ 
locity, frequently upon the same spot 
from which they arose, and soon dis¬ 
perse in search of food. 
Snipe shooting is preferred by many 
to any other of our field sports, as it is 
always followed in open ground, no 
trees or bushes intervening between 
the marksman and his game, and the 
birds are among the most delicate of 
all those of our feathered game. But 
it also has its drawbacks, the princi¬ 
pal one being, that it frequents swampy 
treacherous ground, through which the 
sportsman is obliged to force his way, 
and it is no uncommon occurence for 
him to sink nearly up to his waist in 
mud and water when striving to reach 
better ground, or to pick up a bird just 
killed. On warm, bright days the 
snipe will often lie with greater perti¬ 
nacity, and enable a good dog to point 
them, thus allowing a large number to 
be killed; but at other times it does not 
lie well, generally taking flight at a 
distance of twenty or thirty yards 
ahead of the dog. 
The snipe walks easily and lightly, 
carrying its bill inclined downwards, 
and as soon as it finds a suitable spot 
thrusts it several times in quick success- 
