American Woodcock 



37 1 



American Woodcock. Closely allied to the last is the well-known American 

 Woodcock (Philohela minor}, which differs from its Old World relative in having 

 short, rounded wings in which the three outer primaries are very narrow and 

 attenuated, the fourth and fifth quills being equal and longest. It has the same 

 full, compact body, long bill, and large head and eyes, for it, too, is mainly noctur- 

 nal in its habits. The plumage above is variegated with pale ashy, rufous, or 

 yellowish red of various shades and black, the front of the crown being slaty 

 buff, with three transverse bands of black alternating with three of yellowish 

 rufous on the back of the head, and an indistinct black band from the eye to the 

 bill, while the under parts are a pale grayish rufous ; the length is about eleven 

 inches. 



Although the Woodcock is found throughout most of the eastern United 

 States, its true home is in the Mississippi Valley and the northern and middle 

 tiers of states, where it finds extensive feeding grounds such as alder swamps, 

 marshy ground along streams, and fields of growing corn. Its food consists almost 

 entirely of earthworms and 

 its requirements are so great 

 that a bird weighing only 

 six ounces has been known 

 to devour at least half a 

 pound of worms in twenty- 

 four hours. It is mainly 

 nocturnal, remaining con- 

 cealed during the brighter 

 parts of the day, though 

 sometimes it may feed dur- 

 ing dark weather or when in FIG. 126. American Woodcock, Philohela minor. 

 very close, thick cover, but 



when dusk comes it is all activity, and it leaves its hiding place for the feeding 

 grounds in marsh or field. Its flight is somewhat variable both in force and 

 swiftness, as when flushed it sometimes rises in a labored, irregular manner, 

 but at others it is off with a swiftness that taxes the marksmanship to the 

 utmost. The Woodcock is an early migrant, returning from its winter home 

 in the South Atlantic and Gulf States to the latitude of New York by March 

 first, and the nesting season is also early, eggs having been noted in Florida in 

 the first part of February, and even in the most northern part of its range the 

 young are out by or before June. The period of incubation has recently been 

 determined by Dr. Paul Bartsch to be about thirty days. 



Snipe. In the typical Snipe (Gallinago), which are also sometimes referred 

 to Scolopax, the lower portion of the tibia is nearly or quite bare of feathers, and 

 the body is more slender and the legs relatively longer, while the number of tail- 

 feathers varies from twelve to twenty-four. Another character serving to sepa- 

 rate them from the Woodcocks is afforded by the longitudinal instead of trans- 

 verse black markings on the head. Of the twenty-three forms now referred to 

 this genus, North America lays claim to but one, the Wilson's Snipe (G. delicata), 



