40 



THE OOLOGIST 



The next morning found us on the 

 ground, which is an ideal locality for 

 the nesting of this bird. The ground 

 was then completely covered, with 

 about five 'ncbes of crusted snow. 



In company with our friends, we 

 immediately began the search for the 

 Woodcock. We soon found the tracks 

 of a pair where they had been feed- 

 ing cr trying to find food around part- 

 ly frozen water holes. We flushed the 

 birds and began looking the snow 



We were beginning to think that 

 the bird had used this place, in a 

 small clump of bushes as a refuge 

 from the snow storms, when it was 

 suggested that perhaps after all, the 

 nest might be under the hard frozen 

 snow. This was no sooner suggested 

 than we were down on our knees, tak- 

 ing turns at melting the snow with 

 our breath. After a few minutes we 

 weie rewarded by the sight of one egg, 

 and ccntinuing our efforts we found 



Woodcock on Nest 



covered ground ever carefully for the 

 nest, but found none in that vicinity; 

 but following the back tracks of a 

 single bird, which evidently were 

 made the previous day, we came to the 

 spot almost a quarter of a mile dis- 

 tant, where the bird had started on 

 its walk to the water holes. On exam- 

 ining the place nothing but a slight 

 depression was found appearing some- 

 what dirtier than the otherwise clean 

 snow. 



a fine set cf four eggs, the first lying 

 directly in the middle and on top of 

 the three ether eggs, and being sep- 

 arated from them by a layer of at 

 least one inch of snow. From this I 

 take it that when the first snow storm 

 carre, the bird had laid three eggs 

 and had found difficulty in keeping 

 on them fcr any great length of time. 

 The Woodcock lives on worms from 

 the soft marshy ground, and conse- 

 quently could not remain a long time 



