AMERICAN WOODCOCK 123 
between sixteen and eighteen inches in extent, 
and weighs from six to eight ounces. The fe- 
male is a trifle larger and the average weight 
may be an ounce or so heavier. Have heard 
from sportsmen of ‘‘Timberdoodles’’ weighing 
twelve ounces, but such birds are not common 
and I, at least, have never seen one. The larg- 
est Woodcock of my own capturing weighed 
nine and one-half ounces. When I brought him 
down I would have gambled that he weighed 
not less than a pound. I have seen one that, 
though not in plump order, weighed ten and 
one-quarter ounces, was twelve inches in length, 
and had a wing-spread of twenty inches. It 
was by all odds the largest Woodcock that I 
have ever seen and in good condition should 
have been a record breaker for weight. 
Mr. Timberdoodle is an odd-looking bird. 
His striking personality will command the at- 
tention of anyone who may meet him. A plump 
and chunky body is he, with a head several 
sizes too large for him, set off by a long bill 
and a pair of dark, beady eyes, soft and full, 
placed high up and well back in his head so 
that he commands a wide range of vision and 
sees nearly as much behind him as ahead. It 
