AUDUBON, John James (1785 - 1851), American Snipe, (Plate 243), 1827–1838

JOHN JAMES AUDUBON (1785 - 1851)

American Snipe, Plate 243 [With South Carolina Plantation near Charleston in background]

From the Birds of America

Aquatint engraving with original hand color

London: Robert Havell, 1827–1838

Paper size: 25 1/2 x 38 1/2 in.

“If all around is quiet, you see it move in its ordinary manner, walking lightly, and with some grace, its bill half inclined downwards, in search of a good spot to probe for food. The instant it meets with this it sets to work, and thrusts its bill into the mud or the damp soil, to a depth determined by the degree of softness of the ground, repeating its thrusts eight, ten, or more times in quick succession. When it has thus examined a spot, and perhaps found some food, it walks off in search of another, and thus continues until it is satisfied, when it generally lays itself down in a soft tuft of grass until the approach of night, when it flies off and rambles about for exercise in comparative security.” - (Audubon’s Ornithological Biography, 1831).