NATURAL HISTORY SKETCHES 349 



down iuto southwest Florida. I afterward saw him in Minne- 

 apolis and he consented to send the skin, which he had tanned, to 

 Washington as a fur specimen. This wildcat (L. rufua) is very- 

 abundant in Florida, but much smaller in size. Hair thin and 

 coarse even in winter. — Forest and Stream, November 24, 1892. 



Woodcock arrive in Maine not long after the arrival of the 

 robins, or as soon as the ground has been softened by the sunny 

 days. The female soon builds a poor little nest of leaves upon 

 the ground, lays four eggs of a dull clay color covered with 

 brownish spots. The eggs are large for the size of the bird, 

 nearly as large as the eggs of the partridge. The male assists in 

 incubation. The young are a funny little downy crowd and will 

 quickly hide under a twig or leaf, while the old bird often takes 

 them through the air to a place of safety. Twice I have found 

 the chicks iu Florida, so a few breed far south and a few have 

 been found in winter as far south as Jamaica. I never iu my 

 shooting found them in California. — The Calais Times. 



