468 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Jan, 2, 1890. 



THE WAYS OF THE WOODCOCK, 



] PROGRESS, N. C. Nov. 4.— Editor Forest and Stream: 

 For the past ten years I have noticed in the differ- 

 ent sportsmen's journals articles on the habits of wood- 

 cock, how they make the whistle, or twitter, as some 

 term it, their mode of feeding, etc. Not havingread any 

 of the works of Audubon or any other authority on wood- 

 cock, I am not able to quote from them, but will give 

 from wbat has been learned from my own experience. I 

 can remember very distinctly, in the years 1848 and 1849, 

 when a boy, chasing them about the spring and springy 

 sidehill orchard, their flight so short that I thought I 

 could catch them. I can also remember quite plainly 

 the lirst I ever saw shot, in the year 1850. There was a 

 point of land covered with alders, which made out into 

 the Valley Falls Pond, called the Intervale, where wood- 

 cock were very plentiful. (Since I have been large 

 enough to shoot I have killed a good many there myself.) 

 A party of six men, my father included, took stands on 

 the mainland; my father would send his hound dog (old 

 Hero) over and he would put up every cock on the Inter- 

 vale: some would fly to an island, but those that came to 

 the mainland would take a chance to be bagged. The 

 next man I ever saw hunting them in the fall of the same 

 year was the great Daniel Webster. He had two black 

 and tan setters, the first I ever saw, and was hunting 

 with a friend from Providence, R. I., I think of the name 

 of Anthony. My father explained to me who the man 

 was, and that the dogs were what they called setters. 

 After that I can remember the late Crawford Allen, of 

 Providence, quite often in summer and fall hunting a 

 red dog in the towns of Cumberland and Smithtield. 

 Woodcock were about all he cared about, and at that 

 time twenty-five woodcock were not thought to be a very 

 large bag. I think the Blackstone Valley produced as 

 many woodcock as any place I have ever had the pleas- 

 ure of hunting. These boyhood recollections 1 record to 

 show that i have seen and known what a woodcock was 

 for over forty year's. 



In the year 1856 I began to hunt on my own hook, and 

 in that year 1 killed my first grouse, something I shall 

 never live long enough to forget. I was hunting with 

 what is called a fice, a little yellow and white dog with 

 curly tail and pricked ears. He flushed the grouse and 

 treed, it; I shot, and to my surprise it still sat and looked 

 at the dog; so with great excitement I loaded again, and 

 this time was more fortunate. The game had hardly 

 struck the ground before I had it and was on a full run 

 for home with my grand prize. 



From the year 1856 up to 1861 I was in the woods at 

 every opportunity I got, and I tried hard to make it every 

 day if possible. My great delight in those years was a 

 hound dog, and 1 killed a great many rabbits, besides 

 doing a good business in mink and muskrat. The years 

 '61, '62 and '63 I put in carrying a gun for Uncle Sam. 



In the year 1805 I bought the first bird dog I ever 

 owned— a pointer. Since that time I have never been 

 without one of some kind; and from that time up to 1878 

 I hunted as much as my business would allow me to. In 

 that year I began breeding and breaking dogs for a liv- 

 ing, and have done no particular business since. So all 

 in all I think I can claim as extensive experience as the 

 majority of those that are writing up the habits of the 

 woodcock, and how he makes the whistle or twitter. 



In looking over some of your back numbers I find in 

 Aug. 1 and 22, 1889, articles from Mr. Wm. Brewster, 

 which are so ably written and agree with my views so 

 closely on the subject, that there is little need of my try- 

 ing to explain them further. That the woodcock does 

 make the whistle or jingling sound with his wings there 

 is no doubt in my mind. Notwithstanding your cor- 

 respondent "C. H." in yours of Sept. 12, to the contrary. 

 I don't know how to express the surprise I feel for a man 

 who claims that he has shot them for forty years and 

 that he has not in all that time by accident, or otherwise, 

 learned that the sound was made by the wings, not by 

 the bill in any form. He says, "If I am proved to be in 

 the wrong, I had better go slow, keep dark and put the 

 shot in first," I should think he had been going ex- 

 tremely slow and putting his shot in first all the time. 

 Had he been a common bushwhacker like myself, I 

 could have overlooked it, but a man holding as responsi- 

 ble a position as his friend "Canonicus" claims he does, 

 should be able to tell the difference between the note 

 from a bird's bill and a whistling or jingling sound 

 caused by the wings. In answer to both "C. H." and 

 '"Canonicus" I will ask them how the dove when flushed 

 from a stubble or a treetop makes the whistling sound? 

 Very much like the woodcock except being stronger; the 

 same is true of a number of our waterfowl, such as the 

 whistler, the teal and the sprigtail. I should feel much 

 more pleased at seeing a woodcock sitting up in a shady 

 nook, manipulating that long bill of his in whistling, 

 than I ever was at the old clown in a circus. The sound, 

 however made, is something I have never heard imitated; 

 and it seems to me if it was caused by the bill some Yan- 

 kee would make a whistle that would sound like it. 



Some of those who believe in the bill theory ask why 

 the bird does not give the sound all the time, and they 

 say that it only gives it at certain times of starting, and 

 when on its flight it makes no noise at all, except when 

 it is frightened on its flight; all of which goes to show 

 that the force of the wing to start it is what gives the 

 sound. Again, they claim it is frightened when it makes 

 the sound. I claim it makes the sound anytime it makes 

 a sharp turn in any direction: and this is to me one of 

 the surest guides I have to go by. When I start a wood- 

 cock in a thicket and fail to kill it, I listen to tell by the 

 sound if it turns, and in which direction, so as to go 

 where it is. . I have a great many times started one, and 

 had it make a complete circle of the swamp and alight 

 within a few feet of me. 



On these occasions any one wishing to study the habits 

 of them can get a good chance by keeping still and watch- 

 ing them. After turning their head in all directions to 

 see if anything is around, they will smooth their feathers, 

 then take a few quick steps, then perhaps drop their 

 wings and strut like a turkey cock, then quickly smooth 

 their feathers and seem to listen. The time they are at 

 this sport is, I suppose, that when your correspondent 

 "Paul Pastnor" describes the bird as a little old wood 

 witch. The best I ever saw of this sport with one was in 

 July, 1877. I was hunting on the banks of the Blackstone 

 River in Smithfield, R. I. The liver was very low, and 

 while going from one cover to another I took the railroad 

 to make a short cut. On a point where the road had 

 been built out into the river there was a small clump of 



alders not over 50ft, square, that was generally covered, 

 with water. The railroad company had dumped great 

 quantities of rock down the bank here to protect the road 

 from the river. I had passed it a great many times, 

 never thinking of hunting so small a place. On this occa- 

 sion my setter bitch, old Smut, well known to many of 

 your readers, would not go past and was determined to 

 go down over those rocks. I spoke sharp to her, but see- 

 ing her so anxious I told her to go on. It took her some 

 time to get down, but before she had got under cover 

 she made a staunch point. This pleased me, as I had 

 full command of the ground if a woodcock should spring, 

 being above it; and I well knew that if I killed it and it 

 fell into the river she would bring it to me, so I got ready 

 to shoot and told her to go on, which I could generally 

 make her do on such occasions, but now she would not 

 move. I gathered up some good sized stones and threw 

 until I began to think something was wrong, but nothing- 

 flushed. Then, getting very angry, I tried to make her 

 go on: but it was of no use. The best way out of it 

 seemed to be to go down myself; so I put down the ham- 

 mer of my gun and worked my way to her the best I 

 could; and I have never been sorry I went. As I said 

 above the river was low, and it had left a place about 

 20ft. square, which had dried enough so that a bird could 

 not make a plain track and was perfectly smooth. There 

 upon the mud was a woodcock having the finest time I 

 ever saw one have. It didn't seem to notice me nor the 

 dog; if it did it was trying to show us what it could do. 

 It came so near to us at times that I could have touched 

 it with my hand; then it would dart across to the far 

 edge, then drop its wings and make about the same noise 

 as a turkey gobbler when strutting, or more like a sneeze. 

 It would then draw itself together, and after listening 

 a while would make a dart for some insect on the mud. 

 On this occasion it did not bore, but fed from the surface 

 altogether. I watched it for a half hour or more, and it 

 kept busy in this way all the time; and at last when the 

 bird was near to me and I made a small stick snap in try- 

 ing to change positions, it flushed and left me and the 

 dog looking at one another as much as to say, "Wasn't 

 that a great treat?" It flew across the river, where it 

 wovdd take about two miles to walk around to get it. and 

 I was not sorry, for I did not feel like killing anything 

 that had given me so much pleasure, although at that 

 time the bird was worth seventy-five cents to me. 



Some of your correspondents claim that the woodcock 

 does not feed in daylight. I would be pleased to take 

 them to some woodcock cover in Rhode Island the last of 

 June or up to the middle of Jidy, and let them see the 

 bird feed at liberty. I never had the opportunity of see- 

 ing one in confinement, so I do not know how they feed, 

 but I have watched them a great many times in the 

 swamps of Rhode Island and Massachusetts; and I never 

 saw them go through the wing business or dance, as 

 some say they do, except as I explained above. In good 

 feeding ground it takes them five or six thrusts to send 

 their bill down to full length, and as a rule they put it so 

 deep that they muddy the fine feathers around it for an 

 eighth of an inch. I never could tell how they managed 

 the worm, but supposed they sucked it down about the 

 time they withdrew their bill from the ground, the bill 

 having a small hook shape at the point to enable it to 

 draw the worm up until it could get it to touch the 

 tongue; then I think it sucked or swallowed the worm. 

 I never saw one raise its head as if in the act of swallow- 

 ing, but I have killed one and found the worm in its bill. 



We will return once more to the sound. Some say it is 

 a twitter, some a whistle. I think it sounds more like 

 the jingle of a small bell. The nearest I ever heard it 

 imitated was by my dog's collar when he would shake 

 within twenty feet of me; the ring and buckle would 

 strike together, and this has caused me to tbrow my gun 

 in position many times. What I think some call the 

 twitter is made by the cock bird; he makes a finer note 

 than the female, and I can tell the difference without see- 

 ing them ; his flight is much more irregular and causes 

 more missing when shot at. 



Everybody claims that during mating season the wood- 

 cock has a song or note which he produces with the bill. 

 Mr. Brewster, in his article of Aug. 1, says that the wood- 

 cock possibly has a song. There is no doubt about this, 

 for the fact has been recorded and more or less freely 

 commented on by several observers. 



About his having a note at this time of the year, I will 

 not claim that he has not, nor claim he has. I have 

 taken great pleasure in watching them in spring and 

 summer at twilight, when they would raise themselves 

 into the air and produce a very peculiar sound, but as 

 they stood nearly still, and their wings were going so 

 fast and in a different position from that in which they 

 would be in flying, I always thought the wings pro- 

 duced as much of the sound on these occasions as any 

 time. 



After making his ascent, he almost always on alighting 

 would make a noise something like a snipe, he would 

 say spate, spate, three or four times and then after a rest, 

 of a few minutes, would begin another upward flight. 



If any one wishes to watch woodcock in the spring 

 time, they can do so in North Carolina. I think I have 

 seen more of them here in February and March than in 

 any place. Take any one of what they call old fields 

 here, where small pines trees are scattered through it, 

 and you can most any evening see them at their play; 

 and when you do see one you will not have to go far 

 before you can flush the female from under one of the 

 small pines or a bush, near where the cock is making 

 his spiral ascent. My observations are, that they produce 

 the sound when rising; but when they come back, they 

 drop as if shot, without any sound, until they reach the 

 earth, then they make the cry or note, spate, as I have 

 said. 



I have seen the time within four years, on the same 

 ground I am hunting every day now] when I could start 

 from 25 to 50 woodcock a day in February and March, 

 and some years they breed here quite plenty. In 1886, 

 they came here very early: then there came a cold snap 

 which drove them back; and when they came again their 

 eggs had formed so that they laid and bred here: and I 

 have got as many as a dozen points a day on sitting- 

 woodcock, while hunting quail. On these occasions you 

 can find the cock bird near the nest under a pine or 

 juniper, and I am very sorry to say, that about every- 

 body who hunts in this section, kills all they can of them, 

 and when they are dressed, the eggs ready to drop are 

 taken from them, not only the people here, but men who 

 call themselves sportsmen from the North, do this. Their 



excuse is to say, "Everybody does it and why not we?" 



T remember a case of this kind. Two gentlemon came 

 here and asked the pleasure of sheeting a day with me 

 and my dogs. I was pleased to give them a days sport 

 and started out. At about the first thicket one of my 

 dogs pointed. Before we got to the dog I told them he 

 was pointing a woodcock that was sitting there. They 

 hurried up at that, and said that was Just what they 

 wanted. Said I, "Do you want to kill a woodcock sitting 

 on her eggs?" One of them said, "Ye?, everybody is kill- 

 ing them, we have killed a number t he past week." Then 

 said I, "You cannot kill any over my dogs or on my 

 ground. If anybody else does it, I do not, and I want 

 you and everybody to understand it." One of them said, 

 "All right, we will not kill any then." "Now," said I. 

 "I will show you that it is a woodcock, and will show 

 you her nest." So after kicking the brush a few times 

 she flushed; and to my surprise one of those gentlemen 

 shot at her, the muzzle of his gun not more than a foot 

 from my ear. Now I do not claim to be ranch of a church 

 goer, and on that occasion I think I said anumber of cuss 

 words to that gentleman, and if I remember right, he 

 went a double quick off my territorv, at the muzzle of 

 my gun. They thought I was a rough customer, and I 

 did not care what they thought. Yet one man cannot 

 stop it; and it is nothing strange to go into places where 

 "sportsmen" are putting up, through this State, and see 

 woodcock eggs lying around, taken from birds that they 

 are killing every chance they get, through the months of 

 February and March. If "Canonicus" thinks summer 

 shooting is wrong, what can he think of this; their being 

 killed with eggs in them, and while sitting? 



While speaking of the woodcock in North Carolina, I 

 wish to back up a statement made in Forest and Stream 

 of Sept. 5 by Mi-. H. B. Soule, as to their gentleness while 

 sitting. On this farm, Mr, John Aldridge's, not over 

 500yds. from where I am now writing this letter, in the 

 month of May last, 1889, a woodcock laid three eggs and 

 hatched them all. They were found by one of the 

 family, and hardly a day passed that some of the family 

 did not go and look at her; and as Mr. Soule says, one of 

 the boys used to stroke her on the head, which she 

 seemed to like. There was only one member of the 

 family she ever flushed for— a young lady. They took 

 one of the eggs to the house and back, and*it hatched the 

 same as the rest. Mr. Aldridge watched her until she 

 hatched, and saw her in the act of carrying her young 

 away. He went to see how she was getting along one 

 day, and she flushed, and he thought she looked very 

 large; the young ones had gone, and as she only went a 

 short piece and stopped in an open meadow, he 'went to 

 see what made her look so large, and found she had her 

 young sticking on to her, but he could not tell how she 

 managed it, 



About carrying their young I never was sure, but I 

 always thought the young bird laid his long bill over the 

 butts of one of the old bird's wings, and hung on to her 

 back. This I saw but once, and "the young were nearly 

 large enough to fly. I was working a pup oh them, when 

 the old bird would come, make a good deai of fuss, then 

 get one on her back and fly away with it, until she had 

 taken all of them from the litter. 



As soon as the young birds can fly the old one takes 

 them to good feeding grounds, and as they grow strong 

 they seem to be on the travel all the time. * Good feeding 

 grounds will supply about so many every day through 

 July, which goes to show they are wandering all the 

 time. 



" Canonicus " says that on the borders of a spring rill 

 were found on the 30th of last August two woodcock set- 

 ting on nests not 30yds. apart. He does not say what 

 kinds of nests or who the observer was. I don't like to 

 dispute any gentleman on this point, but as I never saw 

 or heard of a woodcock laying or setting later than the 

 month of May, I would like to have any one who ever 

 saw one in July or August say so, or to know if any of 

 the works on birds speak of them setting so late. 



There is one thing I have never heard any one speak of 

 in regard to the woodcock; that is his gaminess, only Mr. 

 Brewster's letter, where he says the owl did not seem to 

 frighten him. I have seen one not wounded badly bristle 

 up and show a great lot of fight to a dog, enough so that 

 a dog did not dare to pick it up; and I have heard one 

 making a hissing noise like a drake, only not near as 

 loud, when my clog brought it to me. 



As I am not hunting woodcock this fall and arn only 

 working my dogs for the field trials, I do not expect 

 to find as many as if I were looking for them. Up to 

 the present, Nov. 28, I have killed fifty or more that 1 

 have picked up while hunting quail: and in killing that 

 number I have wing- tipped two that I have brought to 

 the house to show the people how they made the whist- 

 ling sound. On one occasion there was a party here to 

 hunt with me. Everbody who saw the birds held and 

 allowed to raise their wings said right away: "The wing 

 makes the sound." And I hope when any one writes 

 about any such of our game birds they will tell the public 

 the facts: if they don't know, then they should not write; 

 for a great many are interested in- all such things and 

 want to learn. I have never talked with an old hunter 

 yet about it who didn't say the sound was made by the 

 wings. 



Three times this fall my dogs have flushed birds that 

 came and alighted within ten feet of me. On all occa- 

 sions they have tmoothed their feathers, then after look- 

 ing around, spread themselves flat on the ground with 

 bill straight out, which I took to be in the act of hiding ; 

 and on two occasions the ground was clear of any cover 

 except leaves. All the birds I have killed up to within a 

 week have been found upon what I term summer grounds, 

 where it is wet and springy, in alders ; but for a week I 

 have found them on sidehills and in old fields. I began 

 finding them on my arrival here, October 17, which I 

 have never done before, and ' think all I found up to a 

 week ago were bred here. Although all I have found 

 were on good feeding ground, I have never seen a boring 

 place that I thought had been made by a woodcock in 

 this or any other Southern State : and I have killed a 

 good many of them from here to New Orh-ans. In spring 

 time I find where snipe bore as thick as I ever saw wood- 

 cock bore. I have come to the conclusion that from Oc- 

 tober they do not bore in this pare of the country, but 

 feed on beetles and worms that they get by turnmg 

 leaves over. 



Once more I wish to say to your readers that the wood- 

 cock's bill is one of the most sensitive of all things I ever 

 sa w ; and if T evfr hit the bill of one with a No. 12 shot. 



