Gallinago delicata
Order Charadriiformes
Family Scolopacidae
Subfamily Scolopacinae
Adult.— Middle of crown black, divided by a buffy line, and separated by two narrow buffy stripes from two brown lines running from the bill to the eyes; back and wings a mixture of black, reddish-brown, and white; tail reddish-brown, barred with black; throat gray; breast brown, streaked with black; sides gray, barred with black; belly white.
The Snipe is a rather common migrant through New York and New England in late March, April, September, and October. It winters sparingly in springy places in southern New England and the lower Hudson Valley, and breeds in northeastern Maine. The Snipe is found in fresh water marshes and wet meadows; it lies concealed in the shelter of a tuft of grass, trusting to its coloration for protection, until one is almost upon it, when it rises with a harsh scaipe, and goes twisting off.
In the spring, and occasionally in the fall, the Snipe rises at dusk over the marshes and utters a muffled sound, which has been termed bleating, but has a distinct suggestion of air winnowed by feathers. The Snipe may occasionally be seen on cloudy afternoons in spring, flying back and forth, rising and falling in great curves, uttering this sound, which appears to come at the end of each descent. Its long bill and the black, white, and reddish-brown of its tail serve to distinguish it readily from any other bird of the open meadow.
Hoffmann – A Guide to the Birds of New England and Eastern New York (1904)