OliDEKS OF BIEDS— SHOKE-BIRDS 



AllElUCAN 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 f(.)rmerly there 

 were ten. 



The American Woodcock' is the oddest- 

 looking land-bird in Xorth 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 \\'oodcock looks like an avian 

 caricature. 



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

 heart of the great American sp(.>rtsman, and its 

 plump brown body is a genuine delicac)'. 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 liird is reallv 



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- 



ciuent 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. 



' Plii-lii-lif'la mi'nor. Average length, about 

 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 .Taclv Snipe,'-' 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, howevei', this 

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

 more in the open, which renders its pursuit 

 more fruitful of results. (_)n 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 

 slirill cry, half scream and half squawk, and in 

 windy weather it often Hies ijuite high. 



This Snipe has a \-ery wide range — from 

 .\laska and Hudson's Bay through all the 

 Ihiited 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 



r^*'- 



WOODCOCK ox NEST. 



Photugraplied at a distiinco of feet, by I.e Roy M. 

 TuFT-s, and copyright, 1903. 



you wander "far from the madding crowd," 

 you may make the acr|uaintance of the Scmi- 

 palniated Sand-Piper,^ or pos.sibly it will be 



^ (!al-li-iia'go del-i-ca'ta. Length, abotit 11 inches. 

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



