84 



AMEBIC AN ORNITHOLOGY. 



BILL OF WOODCOCK, SHOWING EXTENT TO WHICH UPPER 

 MANDIBLE CAN BE MOVED. 



that by constantly being on the watch 

 for the various enemies which delight 

 in a feast upon their flesh, their eyes 

 have gradually, through successive 

 gen e r a ti o n s , 

 been brought to 

 the present po- 

 sition on the top 

 of the head, as 

 that is the di- 

 rection from which danger would be most apt to come. 



About the latter part of March, as soon as the frost has commenced 

 to get out of the ground so that it can be penetrated with their bills, 

 they return to the North and their nesting places. It has been found 

 that the bill of a Woodcock, besides serving as a probe, is also used as a 

 finger to grasp the delicacy when it has been found. The tip of the 

 bill is very sensitive, so that the owner can tell when he has found the 

 morsel for which he is looking. He can then curve the upper mandible 

 upwards, grasp the insect and draw it from the ground. The advant- 

 age of this power, to move the end of the bill at will, can be seen when 

 it is considered that it would be impossible to open the entire bill when 

 inserted in the earth, and would therefore be impossible for them to get 

 their food after having found it. 



A n o th er 

 peculiarity in 

 the W o o d- 

 cock's con- 

 struction is 

 the wing. The three outer pri- 

 maries are much narrower than 

 others and stiffened. It is claimed that 

 these are responsible for the peculiar whistling 

 noise that always accompanies their flight when 

 su ddenly startled. 

 The few mouthfuls of! flesh that can be gleaned from their little 

 bodies are highly esteemed by sportsmen, and they are one of the most 

 persistently hunted of the game birds. They lie very close, trusting to 

 their dried leaf colored plumage to conceal them; but when startled, fly 

 very swiftly and in a zigzag course that makes their escape quite cer- 

 tain when a novice is behind the gun. With an experienced hunter, 

 their chances of getting away are very slim, especially if, as is nearly 



