2Q6 Brewster, Notes and Song-Flight of the Woodcock. \*oti 



some time he stood facing the south, his right side turned 

 squarely towards me, giving me a profile view. The light was 

 still good and thrown directly upon him (he was to the east of 

 my position). Through the glass I could distinctly see his color 

 and markings, the large dark eye, the bill, feet — in short, every 

 detail of form and plumage. In the intervals between the notes, 

 his position, outline and the relative proportions of the different 

 parts presented nothing peculiar. The body was held a little 

 more erect than usual, the back rounded, the head raised, the 

 bill inclined well downward, the tail depressed and closed, its 

 tip just showing below the ends of the closed wings. There 

 was no inflation of the throat, jugulum or breast, no ruffling of 

 the plumage. In short, the bird looked in every way precisely 

 like the conventional stuffed Woodcock that one sees in taxider- 

 mists' shops. 



At each utterance of the fiaap the neck was slightly lengthened, 

 the head was thrown upward and backward (much in the manner 

 of a Least Flycatcher's while singing), the bill was opened wide 

 and raised to a horizontal position, the wings were jerked out from 

 the body. All these movements were abrupt and convulsive, 

 indicating considerable muscular effort on the part of the bird. 

 There was perhaps also a slight twitching of the tail, but this 

 member was not preceptibly raised or expanded. The return of 

 the several parts to their respective normal positions was quite 

 as sudden as were the initial movements. The forward 'recov- 

 ery' of the head was well marked. The opening and shutting 

 of the bill strongly suggested that of a pair of tongs. During 

 the emission of the _paaj> the throat swelled and its plumage was 

 ruffled but neither effect was more marked than with any of our 

 small birds while in the act of singing. 



The p't-ul note when closely followed by the fiaap, as was 

 usually the case, was not accompanied by any of the movements 

 just described but when, as occasionally happened, the bird 

 repeated it several times without peeping, he moved his head 

 and bill just as when peeping, but to a much less degree. 



After a minute or two the Woodcock suddenly turned and, 

 without changing his ground, took a position directly facing me. 

 Viewed from in front the motions just described produced a 

 somewhat different impression. The backward toss of the head 



