2,|8 WOODCOCK. 



height in the air, uttering at times a sudden quack, till, having 

 gained his utmost height, he hovers around in a wild irregular 

 manner, making a sort of murmuring sound ; then descends 

 with rapidity as he rose. When uttering his common note on 

 the ground, he seems to do it with difficulty, throwing his 

 head towards the earth, and frequently jetting up his tail. 

 These notes and manoeuvres are most usual in spring, and 

 are the call of the male to his favourite female. Their food 

 consists of various larva, and other aquatic worms, for which, 

 during the evening, they are almost continually turning over 

 the leaves with their bill, or searching in the bogs. Their 

 flesh is reckoned delicious, and prized highly. They remain 

 with us till late in autumn, and, on the falling of the first 

 snows, descend from the ranges of the Alleghany to the lower 

 parts of the country in great numbers ; soon after which, viz., 

 in November, they move off to the south. 



This bird, in its general figure and manners, greatly 

 resembles the woodcock of Europe, but is considerably less, 

 and very differently marked below, being an entirely distinct 

 species. A few traits will clearly point out their differences. 

 The lower parts of the European woodcock are thickly barred 

 with dusky waved lines, on a 3 r ellowish white ground. The 

 present species has those parts of a bright ferruginous. The 

 male of the American species weighs from five to six ounces, 

 the female, eight ; the European, twelve. The European 

 woodcock makes its first appearance in Britain in October 

 and November, that country being in fact only its winter 

 quarters ; for early in March they move off to the northern 

 parts of the Continent to breed. The American species, on 

 the contrary, winters in countries south of the United States, 

 arrives here early in March, extends its migrations as far, at 

 least, as the river St Lawrence, breeds in all the intermediate 

 places, and retires again to the south on the approach of 

 winter. The one migrates from the torrid to the temperate 

 regions, the other, from the temperate to the arctic. The two 

 birds, therefore, notwithstanding their names are the same, 



