"Snappin' Bug" is an American reel in 4/4 time and D major. Samuel Bayard believed that this tune was inspired by a well-known hymn tune "Happy Land". The first parts are different, the similarity is in the second parts. He also thought that "John Brown's March". was derivative of the same tune. You can accompany this tune with one chord. A snapping bug is also known as a click beetle (Elateridae), which uses a special peg-like structure on their underside to force a quick snapping action between the front and hind body sections. This causes the beetle to jump, producing a violent "click" that can bounce the beetle into the air. Clicking is mainly used to avoid predation, although it is also useful when the beetle is on its back and needs to right itself. There is also an unrelated American minstrel tune in 2/4 time and A Major called "The Snapping Bug" that was composed by George W. Allen and appears in his late 19th century music copybook of original compositions. This tune was printed in Bayard's Dance to the Fiddle (1981).