358 THE MOUNTAIN. 



tion. It is heard frequently on the mountain, although the 

 bird is not abundant here, and is said to be made only during 

 the pairing season. It is generally found in pairs or small 

 parties, and is nearly allied to the European snipe. 



RUSTICOLA Minor, (Nutt) American woodcock. The 

 lesser woodcock is confined to the south side of the St. Law- 

 rence, breeding in the Middle States, which it leaves in the 

 winter, although it is said to winter sometimes in Pennsyl- 

 vania, where it arrives in March. It closely resembles the 

 European woodcock, and has also, like Wilson's snipe, noc- 

 turnal habits, and is much esteemed as a game bird, its flesh 

 possessing extreme delicacy, and the finest flavor. It is said, 

 by some of the ornithologists, to possess notes that are mu- 

 sical, and has the same habit as Wilson's snipe during incu- 

 bation, of mounting up in a spiral whirl through the air, 

 and making the whistling or whirring noise generally attri- 

 buted to Wilson's snipe. Do both birds produce this sound ? 

 The woodcock most certainly does. It is not abundant on 

 the mountain. 



PINNATIPEDES. 



(Lobe-footed Birds.) 



FULICA Americana, (Lath.) Coot. The American coot 

 is said to " dwell and breed in every part of the North 

 American continent, over a range of probably more than 

 fifty degrees of latitude." It is occasionally seen on the 

 mountain as a traveler in spring and fall, but does not re- 

 main there during the summer. 



GREBES. 



(Podiceps, Lath.) 



PODICEPS Cornutus, (Lath.) The Dobchick, or dipper, 

 like the rest of his family, is a far northern bird, breeding 

 in the regions about Hudson's Bay. This grebe is some- 

 times found resting for a time in the mill-dams and streams 



