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_ the genera linaria and nemesia. 
to British hothouses about 28 years ago from 
India; and it has a height of about 3 feet, and 
blooms from the beginning of summer till the 
middle of winter. It constitutes a genus of itself. 
The name snake-root is borne also by a plant of 
the birthwort genus. See the article Arisroro- 
CHIA. 
SNAKE’S-BEARD,—botanically Ophiopogon. 
A small genus of curious, half-tender, evergreen 
herbs, of the smilax family. Two species, of 
respectively about 12 and 20 inches high, have 
been introduced to Britain from China and Japan. 
SNAKE’S-HEAD. See Fririzzary. 
SNAKE’S-TONGUEH, — botanically Lyqodium. 
A genus of exotic ornamental ferns, of the glei- 
chenia tribe. Seven or eight species have been in- 
_ troduced to the hothouses of Britain from the In- 
| dies and Continental America; and nearly twenty 
| more are known. 
Most of the introduced species 
are flexible twiners or climbers of about 6 feet in 
| height, and possess a high degree of elegance. 
SNAKEWEED. See Bisrorr. 
SNAKEWOOD. Asmall genus of ornamental, 
tropical, evergreen trees, of from 20 to 35 feet in 
height, of the nettle family,—Cecropia ; also, a 
Bahamese, evergreen, timber-tree, of about 20 | 
or 25 feet in height, of the redwood genus,— | 
Ceanothus colubrinus. . 
SNAPDRAGON, — botanically Antirrhinum. 
_ A genus of ornamental herbaceous plants, of the 
figwort family. Two species grow wild in Bri- 
tain ; eight or nine have been introduced from 
Continental Europe and California ; a few more 
are known; and very many, which formerly 
ranked as snapdragons, are now included in 
One of the in- 
digenous and two of the introduced species are 
annuals of from a foot to two feet in height, with 
respectively carmine, red, and variegated flowers ; 
two of the introduced species are small, ever- 
green, half-tender trailers with white flowers ; 
the other introduced species are hardy erect 
evergreens, chiefly with pink flowers ; and the 
other indigenous species is a hardy erect ever- 
green, comprising varieties with respectively 
pink, scarlet, carmine, scarlet and white, and 
variegated flowers, and also one with variegated 
leaves. But the different colours of the flowers 
are variable in seedlings ; and many most splen- 
didly tinted and brilliantly variegated ones are 
borne by permanent hybrids. Choice old va- 
rieties are propagated from cuttings ; and both 
the normal plants and new varieties are raised 
from seeds. All the good kinds are very showy; 
and many of them rank among the most con- 
spicuous and admired beauties of the parterres 
| of cottages and villas, and of the open borders of 
large flower-gardens. The perennial sorts flourish 
best and endure longest upon old walls—and 
succeed not amiss upon poor, dry, sandy or 
gravelly soils; but generally die out_in two 
years, or rot away in the second autumn or win- 
ter, on any common garden soil. All the com- 
SNIPE. 
mon kinds should be raised from sowings in the 
early part of March on walls, rocky barren spots, 
or patches of very poor dry soil, and allowed to | 
remain permanently where they grow ; and they | 
will require very little culture, and will con- 
tinue long in bloom every year, and may be made 
to render some abject parts of a garden very 
agreeable. 
SNEEZEWORT. See Mirror. | 
SNIFFLES. A disease of rabbits. It pro- 
claims itself by constant sneezing, and by a pro- 
fuse discharge of mucus from the nose; and, 
after continuing for a few weeks without seem- 
ing to grow worse, it suddenly terminates in 
pining and death. It arises from confined damp 
air, and is exceedingly infectious. Whenever it 
appears in a set of hutches, the affected animals 
should be killed, the hutches washed with chlo- 
ride of lime, a better ventilation established, and 
a fresh stock of rabbits provided. 
SNIPE. A group of birds, of the long-billed 
family of the wading order. It is sometimes 
understood so extensively as to comprise several 
genera of the longirostres; sometimes coexten- 
sively with the reduced genus scolopax; and 
sometimes so limitedly as to comprise only the 
three species popularly called the common snipe, 
the great snipe, and the Jack snipe. The cha- 
racters of the reduced genus scolopax—shared 
by these three species with the woodcock, the | 
243 
red-breasted snipe, and some others—are straight _ 
bill, with the point a little inflated externally, | 
and the nasal furrows extending nearly to the | 
point,—compressed head, large eyes placed very — 
far back, and non-palmated feet. 
The common snipe, Scolopax gallinago, weighs | 
four ounces, and is nearly twelve inches long | 
and about fourteen broad. The bill is three 
inches long, flat at the end, often rough, and 
either pale brown or greenish yellow ; the head 
is marked lengthwise by two broad black bands; | 
the chin is white; the neck is variegated with | 
brown and red and fawn; the scapulars are | 
striped on one web beautifully lengthwise, and | 
barred on the other with black and yellow; the | 
quill feathers are dusky, and those next the back _ 
are barred with black and pale red; the breast | 
and the belly are white ; and the tail coverts are 
reddish brown, and long, and almost cover the 
tail. This bird frequents marshes, edges of rivu- 
lets, and similar situations in almost all parts of 
the world; and it ascends out of sight, and ut- 
ters from a great distance its piercing note, 
which sounds like the bleating of a goat. In 
winter, the snipes of Britain are common inhabi- | 
tants of our marshes and rank meadows, and shel- | 
ter themselves there among the rushes and other | 
In summer, they dis- | 
coarse aquatic vegetation. 
perse to different parts, and are found in the 
midst of our highest mountains, as well asin our 
low moors. ‘They begin to pipe in the first week 
of April. Many of them breed with us; and 
their nest is composed of dried grass and herbs, 
