124 BIRDS OF NORTH CAROLINA 



12. Wing less than 4. Toes well webbed at base. Both mandibles grooved to the tip. Tail 

 not barred. Ereunetes. 



12. Wing not less than 4. See 13. 



13. Exposed culmen less than one-fifth as long as the wing. Machetes. 



13. Exposed culmen more than one-fifth as long as the wing. See 14. 



14. Bill slightly broadened at tip, its upper surface slightly wrinkled or pitted. Micropalama. 



14. Bill narrower at tip, its upper surface hard and smooth, not grooved to the tip. Tail 



barred. See 15. 



15. Wing less than 4J^. Tarsus about as long as middle toe and claw. Actitis. 



15. Wing more than 4J/2. Tarsus rather longer than middle toe and claw. See 16. 



16. Bill stout. Legs bluish. Catoptrophorus. 



16. Bill slender. Legs not blusih. See 17. 



17. Legs yellow. Tarsus more than one and one-half times middle toe without claw. Totanus. 

 17. Legs dusky. Tarsus much less than one and one-half times middle toe without claw. 



Helodromas. 



Genus Philohela (Gray) 

 102. Philohela minor (GmeL). WOODCOCK. 



Ads. Front of crown slaty, washed with buff, an indistinct blackish line in its center, and 

 another from eye to bill; back of head black, with two or three bars of ochraceous-buff; rest 

 of upperparts black, margined with slaty, and barred and mottled with rufous or ochraceous- 

 buff; tip of tail ashy gray above, silvery beneath; underparts between ochraceous-buff and 

 rufous; outer three primaries very narrow and much stiffened. L., 11.00; W., 5.40; Tar., 1.25: 

 B., 2.90. (Chap., Birds of E. N. A.) 



Range. Eastern North America, breeding from northern Florida to southern Canada, and 

 wintering from southern New Jersey to southern Florida. 



Range in North Carolina. Whole State at all seasons, in damp, shady woods and low- 

 ground thickets. 



FIG. 85. WOODCOCK. 



No bird so stirs the heart of the average sportsman as the Woodcock, and the 

 rumor of its appearance in any place is sure to send one or more enthusiastic gun- 

 ners to explore the neighborhood. To find this shy bird one must penetrate the 

 woodland bogs and swamps, or occasionally standing corn near water. Rarely does 

 it venture on the open flats so beloved by the Wilson's Snipe. When flushed its 

 flight is usually short and comparatively weak, but the thick cover in which it is 

 found often saves it from the hunter's aim. One may look for the Woodcock in 

 suitable places throughout the State. 



George B. Sennett in The Auk for July, 1887, speaks of finding one near the 

 summit of Roan Mountain, and in the swamps of Tyrrell County. It is so abun- 

 dant some years that market-hunters find it profitable to pursue it. 



