22 NOETH AMERICAN SHOKEBIRDS. 



Manitoba (Thompson). The species has wandered north to New- 

 foundland (Bennett); was noted the end of August, 1879, at York 

 Factory, Keewatin (Bell) ; and early in August, 1892, on Black River, 

 Saskatchewan (Tyrrell), at latitude 59° — the most northern and also 

 the most western record known. The woodcock has been seen several 

 times in Colorado near Denver (Smith), though its regular range 

 extends only to eastern South Dakota and eastern Kansas. 



Winter range. — The woodcock remains in the north until driven 

 away by frost, and the presence of unfrozen ground is the factor that 

 determines the northern boundaries of its range through the winter. 

 The larger part of the species winter in the Gulf States south at least 

 to southern Florida (Myers; Scott) and to southern Texas (Victoria; 

 Mitchell), but in Texas the species is very rare. Few woodcock winter 

 north of latitude 37°, but these few ar^ scattered at favorable local- 

 ities over a wide area north to Long Island (Giraud), Grafton, Mass. 

 (Mackay), and Vincennes, Ind. (Balmer). Woodcock have been 

 taken several times in December at St. John, New Brunswick, but in 

 each case they proved to be wounded birds (Gilbert). The species 

 has been taken once in the Bermudas, in October, 1842 (Hurdis). 



Spring migration.— ^^ot only does the woodcock remain as far north 

 as possible through the winter, but it also pushes northward in spring 

 as soon as frost releases its feeding grounds. Average dates of spring 

 arrival are: Renovo, Pa., March 22, earliest March 13, 1897 (Pierce); 

 Long Island, New York, March 15, earliest March 10, 1898; central 

 Connecticut, average of twelve years March 20, earliest February 24, 

 1891; eastern Massachusetts, average of eight years March 16, earli- 

 est February 22, 1902; southwestern Maine, March 29, earliest March 

 23, 1905; Halifax, Nova Scotia, March 25, earliest March 10, 1890 

 (Piers); St. John, New Brunswick, April 3, earliest March 21, 1898 

 (Banks) ; Pictou, Nova Scotia, April 12, earliest April 6, 1892 (McKin- 

 lay ) ; city of Quebec, average of thirteen years April 17, earliest April 4, 

 1890 (Dionhe); Hillsboro, Iowa, March 17, earliest March 15, 1898 

 (Savage); Waterloo, Ind., March 11, earliest March 1, 1906 (Link); 

 Oberlin, Ohio, March 21, earliest March 10, 1902 (Jones) ; Petersburg, 

 Mich., March 17, earliest March 2, 1887 (Trombley); Chicago, 111., 

 March 26, earliest March 22, 1884 (Wentworth); southern Ontario, 

 April 2, earliest March 26, 1901; Ottawa, Ontario, May 1, earliest 

 April 20, 1890 (White); Quebec, Canada, earliest April 20, 1907 

 (Dionne). 



One of the most pronounced peculiarities of the woodcock is the 

 early date at v/hich it breeds, especially in the Gulf States. Young 

 a few days old were found January 29, 1890, at Covington, La. (Beyer), 

 which requires that the eggs should have been deposited in December. 

 Young a week old were noted at Jacksonville, Fla., March 10, 1877 

 (Brewster) ; young at Sourlake, Tex., March 22, 1905 (Gaut) ; young 



