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put black, crossed with narrow bands of light red ; sides of the 

 neck ash color ; the feathers marked with dusky and tinged with 

 light red ; back black, the feathers marked with numerous bars of 

 liglit yellowish-red ; outer webs of the scapulars and tips of the 

 wing coverts ash-gray ; quills plain brown, tipped with dull gray ; 

 outer webs of secondaries spotted wiih dull red ; tail feathers black, 

 their outer edges marked with small spots of reddish-brown, their 

 tips white brown above and silvery white below ; upper tail coverts 

 barred with rcddisli-brown and black; chin white ; lower parts 

 light red, the middle portion of the breast paler ; lower tail coverts 

 with a central dusky streak, and tipped willi white. Female 

 about one inch longer, and an inch and a half greater in extent. 



Length of male ten indies and a half, wing five and a half. 



This bird, well known to our sportsmen, arrives on Long Island 

 early in March. lis migrations extend as far as Nova Scotia, 

 where, according to Audubon, it breeds, as well as in tiic interme- 

 diate districts. It is seldom seen flying about during the day, but 

 usually keeps in tiie close and sheltered thickets; at twilight it 

 resorls to neighboring springs for the purpose of feeding on small 

 worms and other insects, which it procures by boring into the ground 

 with its bill. If the season be unusually wet, it retreats to the 

 high and dry grounds, but in general prefeis low and marshy situ- 

 ations convenient lo springs and watery places. Early in April 

 it commences building its nest, which is formed of willicred leaves 

 and dry grass, and apparently devotes but little attention to its 

 structure. The eggs, which are from four to five in number, are 

 of an earthy color and spotted with brown. On the first of July 

 the Act whicli prohibits the shooting of Woodcock expires. So 

 eager then are the gunners for the sport, that every favorable piece 

 of ground convenient to the city is occupied immediately by the 

 sportsmen and their dogs. For the table it is highly esteemed, 

 and commands a high price in our markets, particularly in the early 

 part of the season, altliough I think it is then quite inferior to tlioso 

 procured in autumn. Tlie season for shooting Woodcock contin- 

 ues to the first of February, wlien it is again protected by law. 

 Sportsmen generally observe this law. but those persons who siioot 

 to gratify the palate of the epicure commence previous to the first 



