128 WOODCOCK. 
times a sudden quack, till, having gained his utmost height, he hovers 
around in a wild, irregular manner, making a sort of murmuring 
sound ; then descends with rapidity as he rose. When uttering his 
common note on the ground, he seems to do it with difficulty, throw- 
ing his head towards the earth, and frequently jetting up his tail. 
These notes and mancuvres are most usual in spring, and are the call 
or the male to his favorite female. Their food consists of various 
larvee, and other aquatic worms, for which, during the evening, they 
are almost continually turning over the leaves with their bill, or 
‘ searching in the bogs. Their flesh is reckoned delicious, and prized 
highly. ‘They remain with us till late in autumn, and, on the falling 
of the first snows, descend from the ranges of the Alleghany to the 
lower parts of the country-in great numbers; soon after which, viz., 
in November, they move off to the south. 
This bird, in its general figure and manners, greatly resembles the 
Woodcock of Europe, but, is considerably less, and very differently 
marked below, being an entirely distinct species. A few traits will 
clearly point out their differences. The lower parts of the European 
Woodcock are thickly barred with dusky waved lines, on a yellowish 
white ground. The present species has those parts of a bright ferru- 
ginous. The male of the American species weighs from tive to six 
ounces, the female, eight; the European, twelve. The European 
Woodcock makes its first appearance in Britain in October and No- 
vember, that country being in fact only its winter quarters ; for, early 
in March, they move off to the northern parts of the Continent to 
breed. The American species, on the contrary, winters in countries 
south of the United States, arrives here early in March, extends its 
migrations as far; at least, as the River St. Lawrence, breeds in all 
the intermediate places, and retires again to the south on the approach 
of winter. The one migrates from the torrid to the temperate regions, 
the other, from the temperate to the arctic. The two birds, therefore, 
notwithstanding their names are the same, differ not only in size and 
markings, but also in native climate. Hence the absurdity of those 
who would persuade us, that the Woodcock of America'crosses the 
Atlantic to Europe, and vice versa. These observations have been 
thought necessary, from the respectability of some of our own writers, 
who seem to have adopted this opinion. 
How far to the north our Woodcock is found, I am unable to say. 
It is not mentioned as a bird of Hudson’s Bay, and, being altogether 
unknown in the northern parts of Europe, it is very probable that its 
migrations do not extend to a very high latitude; for it may be laid 
down as a general rule, that those birds which migrate to the arctic 
regions, in either continent, are very often common to both. The 
head of the Woodcock is of singular conformation, large, somewhat 
triangular, and-the eye fixed at a remarkable distance from) the bill, 
and high in the head. This construction was necessary to give a 
greater range of vision, and to secure the eye from injury, while the 
owner is searching in the mire. The flight of the Woodcock is slow. 
When flushed at any time in the woods, he rises to the height of the 
bushes or underwood, and almost instantly drops belrind them again 
ata short distance, generally running off for several yards as soon as 
he touches the ground. The notion that there are two species of 
