BUFFALO SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCES 



147 



After this he crept nearer and with a slender twig three 

 feet long raised the bill tip and down, as shown on page 141 

 and finally getting closer to the bird, took hold of its bill with 

 his fingers when the woodcock flushed from the nest, exposing 

 a fine set of four eggs. The picture on page 134 shows a 

 typical nesting site and the character of its surroundings with 

 the author pointing to a nest containing four eggs. The latter 

 were photographed as shown on page 142. 



From Photo by Ed. Reinecke 



After a while we went on and to our astonishment found a 

 pair of woodcock strutting around us, and not more than five to 

 ten feet away. They reminded us of a turkey cock as they 

 went along with heads erect, tails spread vertically, wings 

 drooping and bills pointing downward close to their breasts. 

 We used every effort to find their nests without success. What 

 a difference in the fall of the year, when the sportsman is 

 after them. 



The woodcock was formerly found in large numbers in the 

 vicinity of Buffalo, but of late years it has been growing scarcer 

 each season and with the wood duck is regarded by some orni- 

 thologists as being doomed to early extermination. It is said 



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