CAYENNE SN. T E N G T H thirteen inches. Bill ftrait, flout, a trifle bent at
Description. the end; colour dufky, reddifh at the bale: plumage on
the upper part of the body pale cinereous brown, mottled with
pale buff-colour: greater wing coverts dirty white; fome of the
outer ones edged with brown: bafe of the quills white, the reft
of their length brown, and fome of the inner ones white at
the tips : baftard wing brown : under wing coverts, mottled
dulky and white : all the under part of the neck and body white;
but the fore part of the firft a little mottled with dulky : rump
white : tail the fame as the reft of the upper parts, barred and
tipped with dufky : legs brown.
Place. Inhabits Cayenne.
Scolppax Gallinago, t in . Syft. i. p. 244. 7— Faun. Suec. 173.—Sap. Ann. i.
138.—Brun. 160. 161.—Muller, p. 23,— Kram. E l. p. 33z .— Frifch.
pl. 229.— Georgi Rei/e, 182.
La Becafiine, Brif, Orn. v. p. 298. 2. pl. 26. fig. i .— Buf. Oif. vii. p. 483.
pl. 26. - / 7. Enl. 883.
Snipe or Snite, Raii Syn. p. 105. A. 2.—Will. Orn. p. 290. pl. 53»r—Albin%
i. pl. 71.—B r . Zool. ii. p. 187. pl. 68.—A r8 . Zool. N° 366.
B r» Muf. Lev» Muf.
Description; WE IG H T four ounces: length near twelve inches. Bill
three inches long, colour dufky; flat at the end, and
rough: the head is divided by two black lines lengthwife, and
three of red; one of the laft palling down the middle of the
head, and one above each e ye: between the bill and eye is a
dufky line: chin white : neck varied with brown and red: the
fcapulars are beautifully marked with black and yellow: quills
dulky;
6. +■ COMMON
SNIPE.
dufky; the edge of the firft, and tips of the fecondaries, white ;
and tbofe next the back barred with black and pale red : breaft
and belly white : tail coverts long, of a reddifh brown, and al-
moft cover the tail, which confifts of fourteen feathers, black on
their lower part, then crofied with a bar of deep orange, another
narrow one of black, and the ends white or pale orange : the vent
of a dull yellow : legs pale green-: toes divided to their origin.
We fcarce know of any bird which is fo univerfally fpread
over the furface of the globe as this fpecies ; being mentioned
by moft voyagers, as well as brought into England from fuch
variety of places. I t is feen throughout the old continent from
the arctic regions of Sibiria to the Cape of Good Hope, at which
laft place it is. pretty common. It alfo inhabits the iflands of
Ceylon and Japan. In America it is met with almoft without exception,.
particularly in South Carolina, where it fwarms ■ I have
alfo feen a fpecimen which came from Cayenne, and been informed
that it is likewife at Surinam. I have received it myfelf
from Jamaica. Said to be extremely common in Falkland
Iflands, even more fo than in England f .
With us it difappears as the fpring advances; but we have
juft reafon to fuppofe that the whole of them do not depart
England, the neft being frequently found in the fens and marfhes
in many parts of this kingdom J. The neft is compofed of dried
plants, with a few feathers. The eggs, four or five in number^,
* A rd . Zool.
t Penro/eHiß. Falkland Iß. p- 36.— Boug, Voy.— Cook’s laß Foy. i. p. 151.
t Both this and the Jack Snipe are to be found the whole year through in
Cumberland. Dr. Heyjham.—In the fens of Lincolnftsire, Weimar Foreß, Bodmyn
Downs. Barring. Mi/e. p. 211.—I have been informed that it breeds in feveralof
the iflets, called Aytes, of the river Thames.
g oblong,