8 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 
unexampled for them to winter as far north as Con- 
necticut, provided they can have a certain amount of 
shelter and the weather is mild: enough, so that their 
feeding grounds are not sealed up by the frost. On 
the other hand, the birds which do not go farthest to 
the southward may occasionally suffer by unexpected 
and severe freezes, such as took place in February, 
1899, to be spoken of further on. Wherever it goes, 
the woodcock starts early for its summer home and 
is often found breeding in New Jersey in the month 
of March. 
- The woodcock is thus one of the early spring mi- 
grants, and, soon after his arrival, which is usually 
in March or early April, according to the weather, 
he makes his presence known, to those who understand 
where and when to listen for him, by the curious 
night song with which he wooes his mate. This song 
has been interestingly described by Walter H. Rich 
in the Journal of the Maine Ornithological Society 
for June, 1910. He says: 
“As we walked along in the dusk, ... my com- 
panion called my attention to a bird note which was 
new to him. I listened a moment, and then said, ‘The 
first night hawk, I think.’ An instant later I doubted, 
and at once my doubt was confirmed when there 
sounded again the nasal p-a-a-nck! p-a-a-nck! of a 
woodcock. Soon we heard him whistle somewhere on 
wing, and presently he appeared flying about, high up 
under a particularly bright star, where he sang and 
trilled and twittered. I do not remember having ever 
