AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 



159 



the northern parts of the continent to breed. The Ameri- 

 can species, on the contrary, winters in countries south of 

 the United States, arrives here early in March, extends its 

 migrations as far, at least, as the river St. Lawrence, breeds 

 in all the intermediate places, and retires again to the south 

 on the approach of winter. The one migrates from the 

 torrid to the temperate regions; the other from the tempe- 

 rate to the arctic. The two birds, therefore, notwith- 

 standing their names are the same, differ not only in size 

 and markings, but also in native climate. Hence the 

 absurdity of those who would persuade us, that the Wood- 

 cock of America crosses the Atlantic to Europe, and 

 vice versa. These observations have been thought neces- 

 sary, from the respectability of some of our own writers, 

 who seem to have adopted this opinion. 



How far to the north our Woodcock is found, I am un- 

 able to say. It is not mentioned as a bird of Hudson's 

 Bay; and being altogether unknown in the northern parts 

 of Europe, it is very probable that its migrations do not 

 extend to a very high latitude; for it may be laid down as 

 a general rule, that those birds which migrate to the arctic 

 regions in either continent, are very often common to both. 

 The head of the Woodcock is of singular conformation, 

 large, somewhat triangular, and the eye fixed at a remarka- 

 ble distance from the bill, and high in the head. This con- 

 struction was necessary to give a greater range of vision, 

 and to secure the eye from injury while the owner is 

 searching in the mire. The flight of the Woodcock is slow. 

 When flushed at any time in the woods, he rises to the 

 height of the bushes or under wood, and almost instantly 

 drops behind them again at a short distance, generally run- 

 ning ofl'for several yards as soon as he touches the ground. 

 The notion that there are two species of Woodcock in this 

 country probably originated from the great difference be- 

 tween the male and female, the latter being considerably 

 the larger. 



The male Woodcock is ten inches and a ?ialf long, and 

 sixteen inches in extent; bill a brownish flesh colour, black 

 towards the tip, the upper mandible ending in a slight nob, 

 that projects about one-tenth of an inch beyond the lower,* 

 each grooved, and in length somewhat more than two 

 inches and a half; forehead, line over the eye, and whole 

 lower parts, reddish tawny; sides of the neck inclining to 

 ash; between the eye and bill, a slight streak of dark 

 brown; crown, from the fore-part of the eye backwards, 

 black, crossed by three narrow bands of brownish white; 

 cheeks marked with a bar of black, variegated with light 



* flir. Pennantj (Arct. Zool. p. 463.) in describing the American Woodcock 

 says, that the lower mandible is much sliorter than the upper. From the appear- 

 ance of his figure it is evident that tlic specimen from wliich tliat and his de- 

 scription were tal^en, had lost nearly half an inch from the lower mandible, 

 probably broken off by accident. Turlon and others have repeated this mis- 

 take. 



brown; edges of the back and of the scapulars, pale bluish 

 white; back and scapulars, deep black, each feather tipt or 

 marbled with light brown and bright ferruginous, with 

 numerous fine zigzag lines of black crossing the lighter 

 parts; quills plain dusky brown; tail black, each feather 

 marked along the outer edge with small spots of pale brown, 

 and ending in narrow tips of a pale drab colour above, and 

 silvery white below; lining of the wing bright rust; legs 

 and feet a pale reddish flesh colour; e}'e very full and 

 black, seated high, and very far back in the head; weight 

 five ounces and a half, sometimes six. 



The female is twelve inches long, and eighteen in extent; 

 weighs eight ounces; and differs also in having the bill very 

 near three inches in length; the black on the back is not 

 quite so intense; and the sides under the wings are slightly 

 barred with dusky. 



The young Woodcocks, of a week or ten days old, are 

 covered with down of a brownish white colour, and are 

 marked from the bill, along the crown to the hind-head, 

 with a broad stripe of deep brown; another line of the same 

 passes through the eyes to the hind-head, curving under 

 the eye; from the back to the rudiments of the tail runs 

 another of the same tint, and also on the sides under the 

 wings; the throat and breast are considerably tinged with 

 rufous; and the quills, at this age, are just bursting from 

 their light blue sheaths, and appear marbled as in the old 

 birds; the legs and bill are of a pale purplish ash colour, 

 the latter about an inch long. When taken, they utter a 

 long, clear, but feeble, /^eejo, not louder than that of a mouse. 

 They are far inferior to young Partridges in running and 

 skulking; and should the female unfortunately be killed, 

 may easily be taken on the spot. 



INDIAN HUNTERS. 



A GOOD hunter is, among the Indians, as much distin- 

 guished as a valiant warrior, and is always more wise and less 

 depraved. When hunting, every Indian is attentive to his 

 duty, and .nothing but his duty. He forgets quarrelling, 

 gaming, (which also is one of his vices,) and even hisferocitj\ 

 Some of the traders, who follow every year in their train, have 

 assured me that the winter Indian and the summer Indian 

 are totally different beings. During summer, he is always 

 in a state of indolence, which degrades and brutifies man in 

 his most civilized and best educated state: the winter he 

 passes in labour, which tames and softens characters the 

 most reckless and ferocious. In hunting, the Indians are 

 indefatigable, though engaged in exercise incessant and most 

 laborious; and the success with which they pursue their vari- 

 ous game through both prairies and forests, in lakes and rivers, 

 displays strongly the acuteness of their understandings. 



Beltrami. 



