106 



NATURAL HISTORY OF VERMONT. 



Part I. 



THE WOODCOCK. 



THE VIRGINIA RAIL. 



tenuat'!cl and not depressed ; the under mandible 

 is also fieeply grooved beneaih. Eyes placed far 

 back in the head. Lejis short, robust and wholly 

 feathered to the knees ; tarsus shorler than the 

 mitldle toe ; Iocs cleft from the base, and the hind 

 nail trimcated. The 1st or 4th primary longest. 

 Tail of 12 feathers. 



.<*r^^ 



THE WOODCOCK. 



Rusticola minor. — Nuttall. 

 Descriptios. — Back darkly marbled 

 with black ferruginous and ash : chin 

 wliite; tliroat grayish; belly yellowish 

 white ; thiglis and posterior parts beneath 

 bright ferrugiiaous ; crown black, crossed 

 with three light ferruginous bands, the 

 middle one broadest A black stripe from 

 the eye to the angle of the mouth, and 

 anotlier from tlie bill up tlie frontlet; 

 front part of tlie head grayish; marbling 

 on the wings lighter and finer tlian on 

 the back ; legs and feet liglit flesh color; 

 bill dusky horn color, nearly black at the 

 tip; nails brownish black, small. First 

 4 primaries nearly equal, 3 first narrow. 

 Leno-th of the specimen before me 11 

 inches, folded wing .').i, bill ;^.9. 



History. — The Woodcock is quite 

 common in Vermont, although very sel- 

 dom seen, on account of its nocturnal 

 habits. It feeds and moves from place to 

 place almost' exclusively in the night. 

 This bird returns from the south early, 

 and selects a breeding place in the woods. 

 The nest is made upon the ground, of 

 grass and leaves. The eggs, usually 4, 

 are of a yellowish clay color blotched with 

 purple and brown. The young leave the 

 nest as soon as hatched, but are unable 

 to fly for 3 or 4 weeks. During the pe- 

 riod of incubation the peculiar note of the 

 male may often be heard morning and 

 evening, while he rises spirally into the 

 air and then descends again to the neigh- 

 borhood of the nest. The flesh of the 

 Woodcock, like that of the Snipe, is high- 

 ly esteemed and eagerly sought, on ac- 

 count of its delicious flavor. 



Genus Rallus. — Linn. 

 Generic Characters. — Bill varying in length, 

 tliick at the base, and generally straight and com- 



pressed ; upper mandible furrowed on each side; 

 sofnewhat arched and curved at the e.xtremily, 

 vvith its base extending upwards between the 

 feathers of the forolicad ; nostrils situated in the 

 furrow of the bill above its base, oblong, pervi- 

 ous and covered at the base by a membrane ; 

 tongue narrow, acute and fibrous at the lip ; lore- 

 head feathered ; legs small, with a naked space 

 above the knee ; toes whollv divided ; wings 

 moderate, rounded ; (ail of 12 feathers, not ex- 

 tending beyond their coverts. Plumage of the 

 se.xes, in general, nearly similar. 



THE VIRGINIA RAIL. 



Rallus virginiunns. — Linn^?;us. 



Description. — Upper part black, the 

 feathers edged with olive brown; cheek 

 and stripe over the eye ash ; over the 

 lores, the under eye-lid and chin white ; 

 wing coverts chestn nt ; quills deep dusky; 

 throat, breast and belly reddish brown ; 

 sides and vent black, with white bars ; 

 legs and feet dusky reddish brown. 

 Length 10, spread 14. The female a lit- 

 tle less, and paler. — JVntt. 



History. — This bird is sometimes call- 

 ed the Clapper Rail, but more commonly 

 the Small Mud Hen It is met with in 

 fresh water marshes in most parts of the 

 United Slates, during the summer, but 

 migrates to the south on the approach of 

 winter. With its neck stretched out and 

 its short tail erected, it runs with great 

 speed : but, when closely pursued, fre- 

 quently rises upon tlic wing, yet seldom 

 flics far at a time. It breeds in this state, 

 making its nest in the wettest part of the 

 marsh, of rushes and withered grass. The 

 fggs, from 6 to JO, are of a pale cream 

 color, sprinkled with brovv'nish-red and 

 purple. The female is so much attached 

 to her eggs that she will sometimes suffer 

 herself to be taken in the hands sooner 

 than abandon them. 



LOBE-FOOTED BIRDS. 



This order takes its name from the cir- 

 cumstance of the toes of the different spe- 

 cies being, in most cases, margined with 

 a membrane. They are aquatic in their 

 habits, and sv^im and dive with facility. 

 They live in small flocks along the sea 

 coast, and along the shores of lakes and 

 ponds, feeding upon fish, reptiles, worms 

 and vegetables. The sexes are nearly alike 

 in plumage. 



Gknus Fumca. — Briss. Linn. 

 Generic Characters. — Bill shorter than the 

 head, stout, nearly straight, conical, compressed, 

 higher than brnid at base, acute at lip : mandibles 

 equal, furrowed each side at the base, the upper 

 covering the margins of the lower, and spreading 

 out into a naked membrane over the forehead ", 



