42 



WOODCOCK 



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 nor- 

 thern parts of the continent to breed. The American species, on 

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

 rives 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, notwith- 

 standing their names are the same, differ not only in size and 

 markings, but also in native climate. Hence the absurdity of those 

 who would persuade us, that the Woodcock of America crosses 

 the Atlantic to Europe, and vice versa. These observations have 

 been thought necessary from the respectability of some of our own 

 writers who seem to have adopted this opinion. 



How far to the north our Woodcock is found I am unable to 

 say. It is not mentioned as a bird of Hudson's Bay, and being 

 altogether unknown in the northern parts of Europe, it is very 

 probable that its migrations do not extend to a very high latitude; 

 for it may be laid down as a general rule, that those birds which 

 migrate to the arctic regions in either continent, are very often 

 common to both. The head of the Woodcock is of singular con- 

 formation, large, somewhat triangular, and the eye fixed at a re- 

 markable distance from the bill, and high in the head. This con- 

 struction was necessary to give a greater range of vision, and to 

 secure the eye from injury while the owner was searching in the 

 mire. The flight of the Woodcock is slow. When flushed at any 

 time in the woods, he rises to the height of the bushes or under- 

 wood, and almost instantly drops behind them again at a short 

 distance, generally running off for several yards as soon as he 



