126 FEATHERED GAME 
ing the nesting season, when few gunners are 
in the covers and so are less likely to see this 
strange sight. Within a week I have been in- 
formed of two well authenticated instances of 
this fact, though probably it was the same bird 
in each case as the two happened within a few 
yards of each other and a nest is near by. 
With us in New England these seem to be 
two great flights of Woodcocks in the fall, the 
opening of the season finding here only those 
birds which have bred in our borders. These 
we carefully gather, in order to make room for 
later arrivals, which are due about October 
tenth to twentieth,—the first flight. The sec- 
ond excursion comes about the time the first 
cold storm of the fall strikes. These later 
birds are from the extreme northern breeding 
range of the family and usually average larger 
in size and of lighter color than the local birds. 
Our russet brown beauty of September is much 
ruddier in shade than are these November visi- 
tors. It seems the rule among most migrant 
birds that those breeding in the northern 
ranges average larger in size and less brilliant 
in color. This statement as to comparative 
size does not apply to the ‘‘Labrador twisters’’ 
