WOODCOCK m AMERICA 289 



was 7 J oz., the average weight of that bird being, 

 in his experience, about 5J oz. He considered 

 the weight alone sufificient to determine the species, 

 but added that " the character of the wing settled 

 the matter beyond dispute." Dr Elliott Coues 

 added that, so far as he could remember, there had 

 hitherto been no recorded instance of the occurrence 

 of the European Woodcock south of New Jersey. 



Since the publication of the last-named record, 

 a European Woodcock has been reported to have 

 been shot in Michigan,^ one of the northern States 

 lying between Lakes Michigan, Huron, and Erie ; 

 but Virofinia still remains the southernmost State in 

 which, so far as we know, this bird has been actually 

 obtained. In these circumstances, it was with 

 no little surprise that I received a letter signed by 

 the captain, chief engineer, second officer, and chief 

 steward of a steamer lying in the Strait of 

 Magellan, certifying that a European Woodcock 

 had been shot in Isthmus Bay in October 1895. 

 The letter ran as follows : — 



" SS. ' Gulf of Papua,' Isthmus Bay, 



" Smythe's Channel, Straits of Magellan, 



" October 6, 1895. 



" This is to certify that inclosed skin of wood- 

 cock was shot in Isthmus Bay, long. 73° zT W., 

 lat. 52° 10' S., on the above date, and eaten by 

 Captain Thomas H. Cook; shot by chief engineer, 

 Forster Hardy ; seen by second officer, W. Lane, 

 R.N.R. ; seen by chief steward, George Addis. 

 '^Bull. Nutfall, Orn. Club, vol. ii., p. 75. 



