Vol. xxix.] 82 



'^ In tlie middle of last March I was so fortunate as to be 

 present at such a performance. The sun had already set an 

 liour, when we repaired to an open piece of ground, amongst 

 some woods, not ten miles from New York City. The 

 Woodcocks could be heard making their curious nuptial 

 call — a sort of a sneeze, quite indescribable in words — in 

 the vicinity, when suddenly, with a whirr of wings, one of 

 the birds beat its way heavenwards. It was much too dark 

 to see what was taking place, but evidently, after reaching 

 the zenith of its flight, the bird began to circle round, 

 uttering the while the sweetest of all musical cadences, 

 probably vocally produced. Then followed a swish of a 

 high-pitched sound, remarkably like certain sounds in the 

 ' drumming ' of our Snipe, and undoubtedly produced by 

 feather-vibration. To the accompaniment of this music the 

 Woodcock returned to earth and to its mate. The whole 

 performance lasted well over a minute. 



*' On seeking an explanation of this finale, we find that 

 the three outer primaries in the wing of this Woodcock are 

 shorter, stiff'er, and more attenuated than the others. I feel 

 sure that in these specialised feathers — ^and, if specialised, 

 they must have some special function to perform^will be 

 found the explanation of part at least of the nuptial display 

 of this bird. 



" I take it that these varied and highly interesting habits 

 of the ^colopacincB during the breeding-season are but the 

 development of the less elaborate display of other Waders, 

 ,'Such as the Redshank and the Black-tailed Grodwit. 



'' I can imagine no more fascinating pursuit than the 

 saccurate study of the habits of these different species on the 

 spot. Such a study is urgently required. 



" There is one more peculiarity of this family which I 

 should like to touch upon before closing. I refer to the 

 remarkable power possessed by these long-billed birds of 

 elevating the premaxilla apart from the maxilla. The object 

 of this movement is obviously to assist the bird to catch 

 and hold earth-worms while its beak is immersed up to the 

 nostrils in mud. The mechanism by which this movement 

 is performed is said to be due to the action of the eudo- 



