Lithograph entitled: "Beach Snipe Shooting, 1869." A lone hunter sits cross-legged on the beach pointing his rifle towards the water, where the common snipe frequents. His day is successful, evident from the several birds that lie next to him. A snipe is any of about 25 wading bird species in three genera in the family Scolopacidae. They are characterized by a very long, slender bill and crypsis plumage. The Gallinago snipes have a nearly worldwide distribution. Camouflage may enable snipe to remain undetected by hunters in marshland. If the snipe flies, hunters have difficulty estimating a correct aiming lead for the bird's erratic flight pattern. The difficulties involved in hunting snipe gave rise to the term "sniper," referring to a skilled anti-personnel military sharpshooter.