AMERICAN WOODCOCK 123 



between sixteen and eighteen inches in extent, 

 and weighs from six to eight ounces. The fe- 

 male is a trifle larger and the average weight 

 may be an ounce or so heavier. Have heard 

 from sportsmen of ' ' Timberdoodles " weighing 

 twelve ounces, but such birds are not common 

 and I, at least, have never seen one. The larg- 

 est Woodcock of my own capturing weighed 

 nine and one-half ounces. When I brought him 

 down I would have gambled that he weighed 

 not less than a pound. I have seen one that, 

 though not in plump order, weighed ten and 

 one-quarter ounces, was twelve inches in length, 

 and had a wing-spread of twenty inches. It 

 was by all odds the largest Woodcock that I 

 have ever seen and in good condition should 

 have been a record breaker for weight. 



Mr. Timberdoodle is an odd-looking bird. 

 His striking personality will command the at- 

 tention of anyone who may meet him. A plump 

 and chunky body is he, with a head several 

 sizes too large for him, set off by a long bill 

 and a pair of dark, beady eyes, soft and full, 

 placed high up and well back in his head so 

 that he commands a wide range of vision and 

 sees nearly as much behind him as ahead. It 



