252 



ORDERS OF BIRDS— SHORE-BIRDS 



r Jw: . 



AMERICAN WOODCOCK. 



to November 1. that they are really in evi- 

 dence. During the open season they are much 

 sought by gunners, — which is the reason why 

 there is now only one bird where formerly there 

 were ten. 



The American Woodcock 1 is the oddest- 

 looking land-bird in North America. Its legs 

 are too short for so large a body, its tail is only 

 half as long as it should be, its neck is too short 

 and too thick, and its head is entirely out of 

 drawing. The eyes are placed too far back, 

 and the bill is too long and too straight. In 

 appearance, the Woodcock looks like an avian 

 caricature. 



But, odd or not, this bird is very dear to the 

 heart of the great American sportsman, and its 

 plump brown body is a genuine delicacy. It 

 has a long array of local names, some of which 

 are so uncouth that the less said concerning 

 them the better. 



The long, sensitive beak of this bird is really 

 a probe and a pair of forceps combined, for 

 probing in soft earth or mud after earthworms, 

 and dragging them out when found. In order 

 to feed, the Woodcock has no option but to fre- 

 quent the moist banks of wooded streams, or 

 wet grounds in the shelter of bushes or timber, 

 where it can work unobserved. During the day, 

 it lies low to escape observation, and does the 

 most of its feeding at night. It is seldom found 

 in open ground, and Woodcock shooting is 

 much like shooting quail among brush — quick 

 and difficult. 



1 Phi-lo-he'la mi'nor. 

 10.50 inches. 



This bird ranges throughout the United States 

 from the Atlantic coast to the edge of the Great 

 Plains. In the course of much hunting in cen- 

 tral Iowa I never but once shot a specimen of 

 this species. 



As a highly esteemed game-bird, Wilson's 

 Snipe, or the Jack Snipe, 2 is a close second to 

 the woodcock. Like the latter, it has a long, 

 straight bill with a sensitive tip, with which to 

 probe down in mud or soft earth of pond mar- 

 gins or spring holes, to the home of the angle- 

 worm. Unlike the woodcock, however, this 

 Snipe is a very well-formed bird, and it feeds 

 more in the open, which renders its pursuit 

 more fruitful of results. On the wing, it is 

 awkward and angular looking. It flies in a 

 very angular course, but so rapidly it is a diffi- 

 cult mark to hit. When it rises, it utters a 

 shrill cry, half scream and half squawk, and in 

 windy weather it often flies quite high. 



This Snipe has a very wide range — from 

 Alaska and Hudson's Bay through all the 

 United States, except the arid regions, to north- 

 ern South America. Its most conspicuous 

 color is brown, striped on the back with black, 

 which in brushy ground protects the bird so 

 well it is difficult to distinguish it. 



Whenever at the sea-shore in warm weather 



Average length, about 



WOODCOCK ON NEST. 



Photographed at a distance of 6 feet, by Le Roy M. 

 Tufts, and copyright, 1903. 



you wander "far from the madding crowd," 

 you may make the acquaintance of the Semi- 

 palmated Sand-Piper, 3 or possibly it will be 



2 Gal-li-na'go del-i-ca'ta. Length, about 11 inches. 



3 Er-e-un-e'tes pu-sil'lus. Length, 6 inches. 



