WOODCOCK 9 



before heard a woodcock make so much, so varied and 

 so good music. It was a veritable song, and many a 

 so-called songbird does not possess such a repertoire 

 as did he. 



"The night was clear and cloudless, with no moon, 

 but bright with starlight, so that there was no difficulty 

 in following every development. I think he went 

 through his performance at least a dozen times, with 

 intervals of rest between of not more than a minute. 

 On each occasion he came to earth near by us, always 

 within fifty yards, and nearly always within thirty feet, 

 seeming to have some curiosity as to our presence and 

 intentions, but showing very little fear. In one in- 

 stance he had almost settled upon the ground, within 

 three feet of me, before noticing my motionless figure ; 

 either that, or, as may be possible, he was examining 

 his disturbers at close range, for, flying first close to 

 my companion, and making a half circle about his 

 head, he approached me, poised an instant within hand 

 reach, and then came to earth not over ten feet away. 



"When I approached him as he rested upon the 

 ground he made a peculiar guttural note, which I can- 

 not describe better than to say that it was like the faint, 

 muffled b-o-o-mp of a bullfrog. I stood quietly wait- 

 ing until he should resume, which he presently did, 

 jerking out, with much bobbing of head and twitching 

 of tail, a series of nasal, rasping quancks! After a 

 little he whistled away again, circled, twittered, sang, 

 and dropped to earth. He must have made eight or 



