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 



