THE AMERICAN WOODCOCK 



{Philohela minor) 



Adult male — Forehead, line over the eye, and entire lower parts; 

 reddish tawny ; between eye and bill an irregular, narrow line 

 of umber ; top of head, black, crossed with three narrow 

 bands of pale buff; eye, large, set far back and high in skull; 

 cheeks, marked with a blackish line; sides of neck, tinged 

 with ash ; primaries and secondaries, sooty black ; rest of 

 upper parts, beautifully variegated with brown, black, tawny, 

 and gray; tail, black, the outer edge of the feathers spotted 

 with brown ; tips of tail-feathers, huffish above, white below ; 

 inside of wings, reddish tawny ; legs, short, flesh color ; weight, 

 from five to six ounces. Total length, lo^ inches ; bill, about 

 2f inches, brownish flesh color, darkening to black at tip, 

 upper mandible broadening at tip and slightly longer than 

 the lower. 



Adult female — In general appearance like the male, but consider- 

 ably larger and having all conspicuous markings somewhat 

 paler; average length, about 12 inches; bill, about 3 inches; 

 weight, from seven to eight ounces. Downy young, creamy 

 buff, striped and mottled above with deep brown. Range, 

 eastern United States ; north, to Canadian provinces ; west, 

 to Dakota, Kansas, etc. 



This peculiar and rightly highly prized bird 

 is, perhaps, the least understood of all American 

 feathered game. While most sportsmen would 

 esteem a really good day's cock-shooting an ex- 



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