THE AMERICAN WOODCOCK. 



By GEORGE BIRD GRINNELL, Ph.D. 



THERE is a little russet-coated bird, dear to the heart of every 

 sportsman, whose name is Philohela minor. He is found in 

 Canada and in Florida, in Maine and in Kansas, but the 

 high, dry plains of the Rocky Mountain region limit the extension of 

 his range westward, for he is a bird that loves moisture and cool, 

 dark thickets. 



The woodcock is not often seen, and is quite contented to be 

 overlooked. He has no brilliant song to catch the ear, no gaudy 

 plumes to attract the eye, nor does he perform graceful evolutions 

 high in air in the broad glare of day. He is truly a modest fowl, 

 and, except at night, or during the twilight of morning or evening, 

 he does not willingly venture into situations where he can be viewed 

 1»\ the casual wanderer through field or wood. One who desires to 

 make his acquaintance must penetrate into the depths of the most 

 tangled swamps to find him at home. Even here, during the day, 

 be is usually half asleep. Not so drowsy, however, as to be unaware 

 of the approach of an intruder. The soft rustling of the leaves, the 

 occasional snapping of a dry twig, and the sound of the heavy foot- 

 fall rouse him from his doze or his day-dream. He moves sideways 

 beneath the spreading leaves of a tuft of skunk-cabbage and, with 

 head turned on one side and great eyes spread to their widest, 

 watches for the approaching form. Once in a while something may 

 cause him to take the alarm, and dart away before it is within sight; 

 but usually he lies close, — and when he rises, it is near at hand. He 

 Springs from the ground, uttering a shrill, twittering whistle, and 

 twists about in his upward flight to dodge the branches which spread 



