File:Indian sporting birds (1915) (14563925419).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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pintails in the north, butin March they are again the more abundant species in the north-east ; and some may be found after the fantails have all gonenorth. Thus, although in many places and at many times both kindsoccur abundantly side by side, on the whole they tend to replaceeach other quite as much as to occur together. Another factorin their separation lies in a slight difference in their habits—as might be expected from the different form of the bill, whichis less adapted for feeling in mud in the pintail—their food israther different. Both eat worms, but while fantails chiefly con-sume water-snails and water-insects in addition, pintails consumeland creatures in large quantities, land snails, caterpillars, andeven beetles, grasshoppers, and flying ants. Such food isnaturally sought on different ground, and so, though both areoften found in the same places, pintail are often found feedingon grass land and in stubble fields, and will lie up for the day injungle and dry grass.
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ij <C CC 3 Z UJ H LD ^, -NO O < Z i _J _J < 1 o ki PINTAIL SNIPE 81 In dry specimens a further difference in the beaks besidesthat of caHbre is apparent; in the fantail the more abundantnerve-endings, drying up, give the end of the bill a much morepitted appearance than is seen in that of the other species,whose bill is less sensitive. It is probably on account of the lesssucculent food it consumes, as Mr. Baker suggests, that thepintail snipe is not quite so good on the table as the fantail,being often rather dryer in flesh. Both species are hable to produce light, more or less albin-istic varieties, of a fawn or creamy colour, and, far more rarely,very dark forms,of the type known in the common snipe inEurope as Sabines Snipe. Only one such dark blackishspecimen of each kind has ever been recorded in India, and eventhe other variation, though commoner than varieties of birdsusually are, is so rare that neither Mr. Baker nor Mr. Dods hasever shot one in all their long experi

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