THE NESTING HABITS OF THE AMERICAN WOODCOCK. 



The Woodcock belongs to the family 

 Scolopacidae, which also include the 

 snipes and sandpipers. This is a large 

 family of one hundred or more species, 

 about forty-five of which are resident 

 in North Afnerica. 



The American Woodcock inhabits the 

 eastern portion of North America from 

 the Atlantic coast westward through the 

 United States to Kansas, Nebraska and 

 Dakota. In the Canadian Provinces 

 the appearance of the Woodcock is some- 

 what erratic. They have been observed 

 breeding in New Brunswick, Ontario 

 and Manitoba. 



The old adage, "There are exceptions 

 to all rules," can be appropriately ap- 

 plied to the habits of the Woodcock, 

 when comparing it with other members 

 of the snipe family. What person unac- 

 quainted with the habits of this odd bird 

 would think from the appearance of his 

 long legs and bills that the Woodcock 

 prefers the woodlands and dense under- 

 brush of the hillsides to the open marsh. 

 However, it frequently betakes itself to 

 the shores of lakes and small streams, 

 especially in very dry weather. In 

 northern Illinois and Indiana the Wood- 

 cock's favorite haunts are among the 

 timbered hillsides, especially in localities 

 where litttle springs emerge from the 

 underbrush, affording excellent conceal- 

 "ment and an equally good feeding 

 ground. 



Its food consists of earth worms and 

 larvae which they procure by boring in 

 the soft earth. The Woodcock is cap- 

 able of moving the tip of the upper 

 mandible, and thus it is able, with re- 

 markable ease, to withdraw its food from 

 a depth of several inches. 



The Woodcock is inclined to be verv 

 nocturnal in its habits, both when feed- 

 ing and migrating, and this peculiarity 

 has justly earned for it the title of "The 

 Owl among snipe." It is a hardy bird, 

 occasionally spending the winter as far 

 north as southern Illinois. In the vicin- 



ity of the Great Lakes the Woodcock 

 arrives from the south in March and 

 soon becomes paired and is nesting by 

 tJie first of April. In Mississippi and 

 Louisiana the young have been found as 

 early as the 20th of February. In In- 

 diana the eggs have been found as early 

 as the last week in March. The latest 

 record I have regarding the breeding of 

 the Woodcock is from Georgetown, 

 Prince Edward Island, where on the 

 17th of August, 1888, a pair was ob- 

 served breeding. 



A peculiar and interesting character- 

 istic of the Bog Sucker, a name fre- 

 quently applied to the Woodcock, is the 

 song flight which the males indulge in 

 during the mating season. The perform- 

 ance can be witnessed about dusk and 

 usually in close proximity to the nesting 

 place. The male bird arises from the 

 brush with a whistle of the wings, the 

 sound increasing in rapidity as the bird 

 circles about, continually rising to a 

 greater height, until the climax is 

 reached, and it is about two hundred feet 

 above the ground. Now commences the 

 descent with greater rapidity and an- 

 other sound issues forth, this time from 

 the mouth, and as the bird nears the 

 earth the notes develop into a mellow 

 warble and with a swoop, the male drops 

 out of sight amid the brush, usually but 

 a short distance from where he arose. 



During a period of three or four years 

 I made several excursions annually dur- 

 ing March, April and May in the hope of 

 finding a Woodcock's ne.st, but without 

 avail, though I seldom failed to see the 

 birds. At last I was successful. One 

 balmy afternoon in April I was in the 

 timber near where I had spent the day 

 studying bird migration. Several white 

 crowned sparrows were frolicking about 

 in a willow bush, and in order to obtain 

 a better view of them I started for the 

 opposite side of the bush and glancing 

 down I beheld in a slight hollow of dead 

 leaves the remains of four eggs, which 



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