148 NOTES ON THE AMERICAN WOODCOCK 



that the European woodcock, or woodsnipe, as it is there called, 

 is now rarely taken by gunners of the old world. Reasons for 

 the diminishing- number of woodcock are found in the cutting 

 off of the woods and the draining of their feeding grounds. 

 But the woodcock is a game bird par excellence and the chief 

 cause of its growing scarcity is the persistence with which it is 

 pursued by sportsmen. 



When the birds were plentiful and gunners few, the season 

 opened on July 4th, and continued until the birds migrated to 

 the southward. Then it was possible for a good shot to bag 

 twenty to thirty woodcock in a day. Summer shooting was 

 very destructive as the birds are then congregated in the rel- 

 atively few wet woodlands congenial to their habits of feeding. 



Now that the sale of the birds is prohibited, the shooting 

 season restricted to the months of October and November and a 

 bag limit fixed at six birds per gun per day, conditions here- 

 abouts are likely to improve somewhat in spite of the fact that 

 during the year 1908 hunting licenses to the number of 4058 

 were issued to residents of Erie County. But something should 

 be done to afford protection to the birds when wintering in the 

 southern states and it is to be hoped that success will soon 

 crown the efforts now being made to secure better protection 

 and some uniformity in the provisions of the game laws of the 

 several states. 



Acknowledgements are due to Wr. William Wild for per- 

 mission to use his sketches and also to Mr. James Savage for 

 the use of several of his photographs. 



Ottomar Reinecke. 



