"THE NESTING HABITS OF THE WOODCOCK. 
By Dr. Morris Gisss. 
The American woodcock (Philohela minor, 
“Gmel.) is recorded as a bird of Eastern North 
America, north to British provinces, west to 
Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, etc., breeding 
throughout its range. In my acquaintance of 
‘nearly a quarter of a century with this pleasing 
Species many nests have been discovered, and 
it has occurred to me to write a partial descrip- 
tion of the very interesting nesting habits. 
In lower Michigan, approximating latitude 
42° north, the long-bills arrive about April 15 
in numbers, although many are often seen in 
March, and they have even been recorded in 
late February. About the middle of April the 
mating season is inaugurated, although I have 
nearly satisfied myself that the majority of the 
birds are mated on their arrival from the south. 
“Those late nestings are the isolated cases 
where difficulty was experienced in mating by 
young cocks, or more likely where the first 
“eggs were destroyed, necessitating a second 
-attempt. 
It is during the mating season when the song 
vof the woodcock is usually heard; in fact, I 
have never heard it later than July 1, though 
information as to its being heard in the autumn 
months is occasionally adduced. This song, 
so called, is composed of a single note, and is 
difficult to describe ; it is uttered nearly always 
when the bird is flying and undisturbed, and 
may be called its love note. Itis rarely heard, 
unless one is an observer and seeks the haunts 
of the long-bill at twilight’s hour. Though so 
simple it is never uttered often enough to be 
considered monotonous, and it is to-all intents 
its love song, and undoubtedly answers every 
purpose as well as the more melodious and 
varied carol of the thrush. To me it is ever 
exhilarating and pleasing, for I am led to an 
agreeable train of thoughts thereby; we may 
well believe, too, that there is a curious little 
brown hen listening to the notes as the active 
fellow dashes about in the gathering gloom 
near the willow copse, where the mate is pa- 
tiently awaiting the return of her lord. 
Mating having taken place after much flurry, 
in which the success of the favored male seems 
gained from his attempts at gyrating flight, as 
battles are not seen to occur, a nesting site is 
chosen. The point decided on is always, so far 
as my experience goes, near bushes or trees 
where some protection is afforded, but the trees 
may be absent in many cases, and the bushes 
may be very scanty and scattered. The spot 
where the eggs are laid is always free and 
open, and though the nest be placed near thick 
bushes and beneath an almost impenetrable 
growth of branches, as it sometimes is, it is al- 
ways in perfectly open sight. It is fair to say 
that the nest is nothing, in four cases out of 
five the eggs being laid on the bare leaves ina 
small natural depression in the earth, but in 
many instances there is evidence of some at- 
tention on the old birds’ part, and in two cases 
which I have met with there was proof of quite 
an amount of skill displayed. One of these 
nests was all of two inches high at the edge, 
and formed nicely and evenly; it was com- 
posed entirely of dead leaves of the previous 
year. The other nest was composed of small 
twigs and lined with grass, and was placed 
between small weed stalks, which supported 
the sides. 
In the woods, where the sun’s rays cannot 
strike, or only faintly at best, and where the 
spring rains have soaked the low ground, which 
they always select, the surface is nearly always 
wet, and consequently the eggs are nearly al- 
ways found on the wet leaves or grass. - 
The eggs are generally laid in late April or 
early May in Southern Michigan, but are de- 
posited by the last of March further south. 
Well-grown young once met my notice May 20, 
which would indicate that the eggs were laid 
in early April. There are many late nestings | 
also, and [ am satisfied that many young are 
hatched in July. At one time we had a ridic- 
ulous law which opened the season for wood- 
cock July 5; when hunting at that date one 
season I found a brood of young but a few days 
old. The eggs are four in number, of a creamy 
or buff color, irregularly and thickly spotted 
