146 The Birds of Albany County 



American Woodcock. — Philohela minor. 1 1 .00 



Rare Summer Resident 



Field marks. — Bill nearly three inches in length; tail short; 

 wings of good length; eyes set high up in head; plumage 

 checked, barred, and mottled with various shades of 

 brown, upper parts darker; three black bars across top of 

 head; markings Jess pronounced and under parts bright 

 huS, in Autumn. 



There is no bird more difficult to observe than the 

 Woodcock, though occasionally one will be encountered just 

 at sundown out in the open and then apparently least mindful 

 of other creatures. Once, only, I observed one executing its 

 eccentric flight-song. It arose in a spiral flight to a 

 considerable height, uttering the while a series of whistling 

 notes, without melody, and then fell back to the earth. 

 Probably the female was near at hand and the performance 

 was being given for her delectation, but I came upon the bird 

 so suddenly that the act was not repeated. During the love 

 season the male becomes a true Cock of the Wood and struts 

 and parades his fine figure and plumage before the admiring 

 female, generally choosing a fallen log for his stage. Our 

 artist, Mr. Richard, mounted a young male in this strutting 

 attitude, following closely the descriptions furnished by two 

 close observers, and from this made the drawing reproduced 

 in Plate XVI. 



A fledgling was once brought to me and I devoted severaJ 

 days to its care, but it moped in a corner, refused all food, 

 and finally died. Once I came upon two parent birds and 

 four full-fledged young, standing motionless in a small circle. 



