OF NEW ENGLAND. 399 
accumulate, until morning, when they free themselves by united 
effort. Should a crust be formed, they frequently find it im- 
possible to escape, and so perish. 
The haunts and habits of our Quail of course vary much in 
different localities. In the South and West they are accounted 
easy to shoot, but, being very abundant there, they are less 
often followed into the ‘‘thick.” In the wooded parts of New 
England, on the other hand, a good bag of Quail is the best 
test of a sportsman’s skill. A successful pursuit of them re- 
quires the utmost vigilance and activity, a sure hand, strong 
nerves, and great quickness together with nice observation. 
Their flight, late in the season, is much more rapid than that 
of the Woodcock or Snipe. They are, moreover, exceedingly 
tenacious of life. Their habits of capricious wandering, of 
rapid running, of dropping suddenly like stones, of resorting 
to trees, and of seeking covers which are thick or rendered im- 
penetrable by briars, necessitate vigor, a certain aim, and a 
familiarity with their habits. 
(d). The principal notes of the Quail, which we have already 
spoken of, are both whistles. One (which is somewhat like the 
whistle of the Great Crested Flycatcher) is a single call-note, 
uttered as if the breath were drawn in at the latter part, and is 
employed at all times of the year. The other is heard in 
spring and summer, and consists of two or three loud notes, of 
which each is higher than the preceding. This latter is very 
well known, and is familiar to nearly all persons who live in 
the country. The Quail have also a few low twitterings, not 
audible at any great distance, and a chuck. 
§ 32. Scolopacidee. Snipe, ete. (See § 29.) 
I. PHILOHELA 
(A) minor.* (American) Woodcock. 
4The larger European Woodcock (Scolopax rusticola) is said to have occurred 
in New England as a straggler. In this species, only the outer wing-feather (or 
first primary) is attenuate, i. e. extremely narrow. In the American species, 
three of the pr-maries present this appearance. 
