NOTICES OF NEW BOOKS. 315 



of the South American Snipe, also, will probably lead to a further 

 revision of this difficult group of birds. 



After describing the European Woodcock at length, and 

 noticing some of its anatomical peculiarities, such as the flexi- 

 bility of the upper mandible, which enables the bird to seize 

 more readily a worm beneath the surface which may be felt though 

 not seen, Dr. Hoffman discusses the question whether there is 

 not more than one race of Woodcock, on the ground that two 

 very different forms of this bird are well known to sportsmen, 

 namely, a large Woodcock (der Eulenkopf) of a yellowish tone of 

 colour, with a large head, and flesh-coloured feet; and a smaller 

 and slimmer bird {Steinschnepfe, Dornschnepfe, der Spitzkopf, 

 oder der Blaufuss), more sombre in colour, and with feet of a blue 

 or steel-grey colour. The former, it is said, breeds in Central 

 Europe ; the latter does not, although some authorities maintain 

 that the differences above noted are indicative of sex only. 



In a tabular form (pp. 25 — 32) Dr. Hoffman has given the 

 weight, measurements, and coloration of forty-two specimens 

 procured in spring (twenty-six males and sixteen females) with 

 critical remarks on the plumage of each, which has a special 

 bearing on the question whether the sexes of the Woodcock can 

 be recognized by any outward markings. It has often been 

 asserted that the sexes may be distinguished by the appearance 

 of the first primary, in which, it is said, the outer web is of an 

 uniform colour in the female, and has white or huffy-white zigzag 

 markings on a darker ground colour in the male. This, however, 

 has long ago been shown (amongst others by Gould) to be a 

 fallacy, and we have seen the first primary of a Woodcock which 

 had the markings referred to for half its length only, the remaining 

 half being quite uniform in colour. Thus no dependence can be 

 placed upon this character, which varies, not with sex, but with 

 age ; nor can any constant character be pointed out as an 

 invariable indication of sex. 



One of the most interesting chapters in the book is that 

 (Chap. IV.) which deals with the life-history and habits of 

 this bird, including the habit of carrying its young (p. 85), its 

 peculiar note or call, its food, and propagation, under all of wliich 

 headings a number of useful statistics are given from personal 

 observation by the author or by some of his friends, as well as by 

 authors of note whom he cites. 



