804 



SYSTEMA TIC SYNOPSIS. — LIMICOL.E. 



Night-peck. Bog-sucker. Bog-bird. Timberdoodle. Hookumpake. Shrups. 

 Labrador Twister. Colors above harmoniously blended and varied black, brown, gray, 

 and russet; below, pale warm brown of variable shade, not barred. A dark stripe from bill 

 to eye. Crown from opposite eye with black and light bars ; along inner edges of wings 

 a bluish-ashy stripe; lining of wings rusty-brown; quills plain fuscous; tail black, spotted, 

 and tipped; bill brownish flesh-color, dusky at end; feet pale reddish flesh-color. The 

 Woodcock is 10 or 11 inches long, and IG or 17 in extent; wiug 4.50-4.75; bill 2.50- 

 2.75; tarsus 1.25; middle toe and claw 1.50; and weighs usually 5, 6, or 7 ounces. The 

 Woodhen, as some prefer to call her, is larger, 11 or 12 inches long ; extent 17 or 18 ; 

 wing 4.75-5.50; bill 2.75-3.00; some good fat ones up to 8 or 9 oz. in weight. Bogs, 

 swamps, wet woodland and fields, eastern U. S. chiefly ; N. into southern proviuces of Canada; 

 N. W. to eastern Manitoba; the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Indian Territory, Texas, and 



even Colorado, but 



^^ A 1 i I ' // casual or rare W. of 



-^^ ^ / Hi \ ^^^ 97th meridian ; 



' ^^ I w^ \ jjQ extralimital record 



except Bermuda ; mi- 

 gratory, but breeds 

 throughout its range, 

 most commonly 

 northerly; winters 

 cliiofly in the South. 

 This is the game bird, 

 after all, say what you 

 {)loase of Snii)e, Quail, 

 or Grouse ! But of 

 increasing scarcity in 

 many parts owing to 

 its persistent pursuit 

 in spring and sum- 

 mer, together with the 



Fig. 55'J. — American Woodcock, much reduced. (From Lewis.) winter shootilltr in the 



South. Eggs usually 4, more rotund than those of most small Waders, corresponding to the 

 plump form of the bird, averaging 1.50 X 1.18 ; a short broad one 1.40 X 1-20 ; a long narrow 

 one 1.55 X 1-15; brownish clay-color, more huffy or more grayish, with numberless chocolate- 

 brown surface- markings and stone-gray shell-spots, none very large or bold ; size and intensity 

 of markings generally corresponding to depth of ground color; usually laid in April, often 

 March, earlier in the South. Woodcock liave many curious actions during the mating season, 

 as their nocturnal " song "-flight. The young are sometimes removed from danger by the 

 parent carrying them with the feet. Very erratic and capricious iu its movements — surprises 

 are always in order for the cock-shooter, until he learns to be surprised at nothing this bird does; 

 which is never safe until brought to table on toast, with his insides inside and his bill under his 

 wing — poor thing! and even then the bill is likely to be a surprise, if it is presented in a fash- 

 ionable restaurant. 



SCO'LOPAX. (Gr. aKoko-na^, skolopax, Lat. scolopax, name of this very bird.) European 

 Woodcock. No outer primaries shortened or peculiar, 1st narrowed somewhat on inner web 

 near end; 1st and 2d longest, 3d little shorter, 4th much shorter; wings long, comparatively, 

 point of wing extending l)eyond inner secondaries, which only fold about to end of 5th quill. 

 Generic characters, excepting tliose of wing, much as in Philohela ; same style of bill and feet 

 and conflguration of body and head; plumage similarly variegated above, but below barred 



