File:Indian sporting birds (1915) (14563905980).jpg

Identifier: indiansportingbi00finn (find matches)
Title: Indian sporting birds
Year: 1915 (1910s)
Authors: Finn, Frank, 1868-1932 Hume, Allan Octavian, 1829-1912 Marshall, Charles Henry Tilson, 1841-
Subjects: Birds -- India Game and game-birds -- India
Publisher: London : Francis Edwards
Contributing Library: American Museum of Natural History Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library

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witbregard to the owners relationships—is only about as long asordinary snipe, it stands higher on the legs and is much morestrongly built. It is, in fact, a broad-shouldered, full-chestedbird, and in this respect differs much from tbe slab-sided rails,which it otherwise much resembles in some points, notably itsslovenly flight and habit of slinking along head down whenalarmed into cover, and running along therein in preference torising and showing sport. It will also swim voluntarily, as railsso usually do. It is not, indeed, generally regarded as a sporting bird, atany rate when genuine snipe are about to shoot at ; for inaddition to being a skulker and a slack flier, it is no particulardelicacy, thougb not unpalatable in default of more savourygame ; I should call it about as good as an ordinary pigeon. It is a resident, or at least does not migrate more than isnecessary for any marsh-bird when its haunts are dried up,and it is found practically everywhere in our limits except in
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PAINTED SNIPE 95 the hills, so long as cover and water are available. Muddyground with plenty of shelter suits it especially, but it does notfrequent paddy-fields much. In some places it appears decidedlysociable, and flocks of up to twenty birds may be met with. In the breeding-season it would appear, from informationgiven to Mr. Stuart Baker by Cachari shikaries, that the hens(which they mistake for cocks) fight vigorously for their mates,just as hen hemipodes do; and there seems to be now no doubtthat the cock painter does the sitting and rearing. Several ofthis sex have been caught on the nests, but never their ladies,who, gay in more senses than one, are suspected of roving off insearch of a fresh liaison when they have got one husbandcomfortably settled on a quadruplet of eggs. The eggs are notgenerally so peg-top-shaped as true snipes eggs, and are oftenof the usual oval, while they usually vary between the twotypes, with an inclination to the former. They are very hand-somely

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