12 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 



the American Woodcock," by Ottomar Reinecke, of 

 Buffalo, N. Y. 



Mr. Reinecke as have many other people familiar 

 with the bird points out that it is one of the earliest 

 of the birds to nest. Sometimes this early nesting is 

 followed by unhappy consequences, as in cases which 

 took place in the spring of 1904. The author says: 

 "In our locality the I3th of April is usually the time 

 to look for full sets of woodcock's eggs. That year 

 was no exception to the rule, although at the time re- 

 ferred to we had been visited by a heavy snowfall, 

 which covered the ground to the depth of eight inches. 

 The snow had been partially melted by the sun, but 

 was frozen hard during the ensuing night. Two days 

 later another snow storm occurred. The next morn- 

 ing found us on the ground, which is an ideal locality 

 for the nesting of this bird. The ground was then 

 covered with about five inches of crusted snow. In 

 company with several friends we immediately began 

 our search for the woodcock. We soon found the 

 tracks of a pair where they had been feeding or try- 

 ing to find food around partly frozen water holes. 



"We flushed the birds and began looking the snow- 

 covered ground over carefully for the nest. We found 

 none in that vicinity, but following the tracks of a 

 single bird, which evidently were made the previous 

 day, we came to the spot at least a quarter of a mile 

 distant where the bird had started on its walk to the 

 water holes. On examining the place nothing but a 



