32 BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



rushes raised to a height of several inches from the surface of the 

 water, so that the eggs are kept perfectly dry, and are moored to the 

 stems of the surrounding reeds." During the winter months Coots 

 may be seen in large flocks along the St. John's river, Florida ; at 

 " Mud Lake," about ten miles north of Sanford, I have seen over a 

 thousand in one flock. 



These birds arrive in Pennsylvania about the last week in April, and, 

 like the Rails, are found frequenting marshy sloughs, etc. Coots do not, 

 I think, breed in this Commonwealth, but occur here chiefly as spring 

 and fall migrants ; they are much more common in the autumn than 

 during the spring. Audubon states that its food consists of seeds, 

 grasses, small fishes, worms, snails and insects, along with which it 

 introduces into its stomach a good quantity of rather coarse sand. 

 Nuttall observes that they feed principally on aquatic vegetable sub- 

 stances, as seeds, leaves, etc. In March, 1885, I obtained seventeen 

 Coots at Little Lake George, Florida, and found in the stomachs of 

 all only small seeds, blades of grass, with, in most every instance, a 

 small quantity of sand or gravel. Six of these birds, which I have 

 obtained in Chester county, Pa., had only vegetable materials, small 

 black and yellow seeds, also sand in their muscular gizzards. 



ORDER LIMICOLJ]. SHORE BIRDS. 



FAMILY SCOLOPACID^E. SNIPES AND SANDPIPERS. 



GENUS PHILOHELA. GRAY. 

 228. Philohela minor (GMEL.). 



American "Woodcock. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Bill long, compressed, punctulated and corrugated near the end ; upper mandible 

 longer than the under, and fitted to it at the tip ; wings moderate, three first prima- 

 ries shorter than the fourth and very narrow ; tail short ; legs moderate ; eyes in- 

 serted unusually distant from the bill ; occiput with three transverse bands of black, 

 alternating with three others of pale yellowish-rufous ; upper parts of body vari- 

 egated with pale-ashy, rufous, or yellowish-red of various shades, and black ; large 

 space in front, and throat, reddish-ashy ; line from the eye to the bill, and another 

 on the neck below the eye, brownish-black ; entire under parts pale-rufous, brighter 

 on the sides and under wing coverts ; quills ashy-brown ; tail feathers brownish- 

 black, tipped with ashy, darker on the upper surface, paler and frequently white on 

 the under ; bill light-brown, paler and yellowish at base ; legs pale-reddish ; iris 

 brown. 



Total length, about 11 inches ; wing, 5| ; tail 2^ ; tarsus, If inches. 



Hab. Eastern province of North America, north to the British provinces, west 

 to Dakota, Kansas, etc., breeding throughout its range ; no extralimital records. 



