226 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest : On ground, on brushy 

 bottoms or in open woods, usually not tar from water ; 

 a depression in the leaves without Hning. Eggs: 3 or 

 4, bufify to grayish-white, irregularly and thickly spotted 

 with pale reddish-brown. 



Distribution. — Eastern North America ; breeds from 

 northeastern North Dakota, southern Manitoba, north- 



ern Michigan, southern Quebec, and Nova Scotia south 

 to southern Kansas, southern Louisiana, and northern 

 Florida; winters from southern Missouri, the Ohio 

 Valley, and New Jersey (rarely Massachusetts) south 

 to Texas and southern Florida ; ranges casually to 

 Saskatchewan, Keewatin, Colorado, Newfoundland, and 

 Bermuda. 



During the day the W'uudcock sits quietly in a 

 shadowy retreat, usually in the swamps, but often 

 in open upland woods. It may also be flushed 

 in " slashings," where will be found the " f(jrm " 

 of old leaves where it had nestled. The swampy 

 coverts which " Mr. Big-eyes " prefers are clean, 

 sweet localities, where alders and willows like to 

 grow. The bird is by no means confined to such 

 resorts for it may be found nesting well up in 

 the hills, though even there a favorite resort is 

 generally not far away, to which it travels in the 

 evening and forages for its nocturnal sup]3er. 

 Often in the evening I have seen it against the 

 fading west, bound for its own particular restau- 

 rant. Even after night had fallen its familiar 

 scape could be heard. 



Some of our birds are enveiled in mystery and 



the Woodcock is not the least strange of this 

 coterie. It often lives where its presence is un- 

 suspected. One of the best Woodcock covers I 

 have knovifn was within the limits of the city of 

 Brooklyn. Fortunately this knowledge was not 

 shared by others, so the birds were little hunted. 

 Into this retreat the birds would come silently 

 some April night, and from it they would dis- 

 appear some October day as mysteriously. 



The flight is swift though short, sometimes 

 accompanied with a clattering sound, at others 

 as silent as an owl's. I have frequently seen 

 them collide with limbs when flushed. This may 

 be due to the fact that the birds' eyes are placed 

 far back in the head, or it may be because they 

 are watching the intruder and cannot look for- 

 ward and behind at the same time. 





Drawing by R. 1. Brashe 



WOODCOCK C, nat. size) 

 A game bird that is not disturbed by the advent of agriculture 



