FOREST AND STREAM. 
we found that its late bed was a clean depression crushed 
into the rock, with absolutdv no soil between it and the 
mass which had lain above it. It would thus seem that 
the meteorite had fallen on the bare rock surface of this 
district at a period before the vegetable soil had begun 
to form here. This would be an interesting and astound- 
ing fact, carrying back the fall of our meteor to a re- 
motely distant period, perhaps of tliousaiiys of years. But 
there are other conditions whicb wntild need careful con- 
sideration before accepting so nicomentous a conclusion. 
The wonderful preservation of the mass, with its little 
oxidation, and the clean, sharp-rimmed pittings which 
cover its surface, seem to point to a more modern sojourn 
within the destroying influences of our air and moisture. 
We leave this for further consideration. 
It is an interesting fact that this, perhaps the largest 
and heaviest meteorite yet discovered on our globe, should 
have fallen so near the present borders of our country. 
Interesting, too, that Mexico, with all its other extra 
large meteorites, should have received this champion 
mass. The extreme measures of Bacubirito, for so our 
meteorite from the first has been called, are:- 
Peet. Inches. 
Length 13 i 
Width 6 2 
Thickness 5 4 
The form of the mass is extremely irregular, and 
though measures have been taken around the mass at 
many different points, its cubic contents can not be cal- 
culated with more than an approximation to accuracy. 
The five largest meteorites known to science to-day 
are: 
Tons. 
Bendego (Brazil) 5 1-3 
San Gregorio (Mexico) 11 1-2 
Chupaderos (Mexico) if! 2-3 
Anighito (Greenland) 50 
Bacubirito (Mexico) 50 
The first three are weights proven on scales. Tlie lat- 
ter two are thus far simple estimates. 
Two Vanishing Game Birds. 
The Woodcock and the Wood Dock, 
BY A. K. fisher;, ornithologisTj biological sxirvey. 
From the Year Book of the Department of Agriculture. 
Unless strong protective measures are soon adopted 
the woodcock and wood duck, two popular and valuable 
game birds, will become extinct — ^the woodcock abso- 
lutely, the wood duck over a large part of its range. 
It is the purpose of the present paper to call attention 
to the Impending extinction of these birds, to point out 
the causes, and, so far as possible, to S1:^ggest means of 
prevention. 
These game birds differ materially in habits as well as 
in other particulars, but the conditions affecting their 
decrease are very similar. As winter approaches they 
leave their summer homes, where they have been scat- 
tered over broad areas, and gradually work sottthward 
until finally they become more or less concentrated in 
their respective haunts in the Southern States. Within 
the confines of this winter home, where almost no pro- 
tection is afforded them, they are slaughtered in large 
numbers; and as the Southern States place little restric- 
tion on their export, they are shipped North in quanti- 
ties limited mainly by the demands of the market or the 
endurance of the gunners. Not only are the birds sub- 
jected to this exterminating treatment throughout the 
winter, but when the season of migration comes and 
they return to their summer homes they fare little bet- 
ter; for a majority of the States in which they are 
found permit them to be shot while nesting or at the 
time when the young are unable to properly care for 
themselves. In view of these facts, it is not sm-prising 
that the woodcock, with its limited distribution and 
moderate fecundity, is very rapidly passing away, arid 
that the wood duck has disappeared or become rare in 
many places where once it was common. 
Woodcock (Philohela minor). 
It is probably true that none of our game birds is so 
universally esteemed as the woodcock. The many sports- 
men who find pleasure in following coveys of bobwhite 
through the stubble field and covert in autumn, and 
those who enter the wild and rugged haunts of the ruffed 
grouse, frequently abandon their chosen pursuit to search 
alder swamp or hazel hillside to add the woodcock to 
their bag. Nor is the bird a favorite with sportsmen 
alone; it is equally highly regarded by the epicure, and 
to fill the demand for the table it is much sought by 
those who shoot to supply the market. The high price 
it commands is a great incentive to its slaughter at 
unseasonable times, and this is the most potent factor 
working to its ultimate extinction, 
Distfifaution. 
The woodcock is an inhabitant of the eastern United 
States, and is rare or accidental west of the ninety-sev- 
enth degree of longitude and north of eastern Manitoba, 
the Great Lakes, and the Ottawa and St. Lawrence riv- 
ers. Its true home is the Mississippi Valley and the 
northern and middle tiers of States, where cane or alder 
swamps abound, and where springy hillsides and marshy 
ground along the streams furnish extensive feeding 
places. In winter it is to be found chiefly in the South 
Atlantic and Gulf States, particularly in the extensive 
alluvial tracts of Georgia and Louisiana, although in 
mild seasons a few may winter about open spring holes 
as far north as the southern parts of IlUnois and New 
York. 
To the west of the States which lie along the western 
bank of the Mississippi, swamps affording suitable food 
and shelter are rare, and here, except for a few records 
of its appearance in the region just east of the, foothill 
country of Colorado, and one recent breeding recOrd 
from Timnath, in the same State, the woodcock is prac- 
tically unknown. There is no satisfactory evidence that 
the bird ever visits any of the West Indian islands; so 
far as known, the only extralimital record is one of a 
storm-driven waif which reached the Bermudas. 
1 Woodcock are early migrants, reaching the latitude 
of New York by the ist of March, and in favorable sea- 
sons at least two weeks earlier. As they breed through- 
(Hit their range, the time of nesting is quite varied* At 
Covington, La., young birds fully 10 days old ha»ve been 
found as early as January 29, and in Florida, it is stated, 
eggs are deposited early in February. This is fully a 
month in advance of the time of nesting in southern 
Illinois and the vicinity of Washington, D, C, and more 
than two months earlier than the regular nesting sea- 
son in the latitude of New England. In the more 
northern parts of the range it is often as late as June 
before the young appear, and well into July before they 
aro wholly able to care for themselves. 
Habits. 
The general appearance of the woodcock clearly sug- 
gests its nocturnal or crepuscular habits. During the 
brighter parts of the day it seldom takes wing unless 
disturbed, though it may perhaps feed in secluded places 
during dark, cloudy weather, or when protected by un- 
usually thick cover. When dusk comes, however, it is 
all activity, and leaves its hiding place to visit the feed- 
ing grounds in marshes, along streams in low meadows, 
or in fields of growing corn. In favorable localities, 
woodcock can be heard at dusk flying back and forth, 
and occasionally the glimmer of their wings can be seen 
as they alight in the open. In former days, before they 
had become too scarce, it was a common sight from 
early twilight until dark to see or hear them flying about 
the open pastures or springy hillsides of northern New 
York, nor was it a rare event to flush them from the 
kitchen garden or barnyard, or even from shrubbery close 
to the house, where they had come in search of food. 
(i) Natiii-al enemies; (2) severe storms during m'gpfi- 
tion; (3) lack of protection in winter; (4) spring and 
-suminer shooting. 
Natural Enemies, 
AUhough there is little positive information on which 
to base an opinion, still it is probable that the cat, red 
squirrel, sharp-shinned hawk, and mink are among the 
most important natural enemies of the woodcock. If 
the influence exerted by man be eliminated, natural 
enemies doubtless produce, within certain limits, a bene- 
ficial rather than injurious effect on a species as a whole. 
As pointed out years ago by Professor Baird, the weak, 
diseased, or wounded individuals, on account of their 
lessened activity, are alm<sst sure to be the first to fall 
victims, whereas the strong and vigorous, through their 
agility and alertness, have comparatively little difficulty 
m eluding their foes. By the rethoval of the weaklings", 
disease and degeneracy are kept away from the breed- 
ing stock, which is able through its healthy vigor to 
escape epidemics and other sweeping fatalities. It is 
only when man lends a heavy hand in the work of de- 
struction that the inroads of natural enemies ever be- 
come apparent. The man who in a few days kills 500 or 
600 birds, or even half that number (a destruction far 
beyond his needs), is much more of a menace to game 
than the passing hawk, which takes only the food it re- 
quires. 
Storms During Migration, 
Cold storms in spring often are very destructive to 
bird life, especially when accompanied by snow or oc- 
curring in the height of" migration. Mr. Arthur T. 
The Woodcock ^Philohela minor). 
The flight is variable, not only in character, but also 
in force and swiftness; at times, when the bird is flushed, 
its movements are seemingly labored and irregular as it 
zigzags up toward the treetops; at other times it has 
the swift, regular motion characteristic of other mem- 
bers of the group. 
The earthworm is the staple food, and the presence 
or absence of this annelid doubtless governs to a great 
extent the distribution of the bird, though other forms 
of subterrestrial life, especially the larvae of insects, un- 
doubtedly make up a portion of its daily fare. It has 
been shown that a woodcock weighing 6 ounces devours 
at least half a pound of worms in twenty-four hours, 
and during protracted droughts there must be difficulty 
in satisfying this voracious appetite. 
The nest, a loose structure of grass or other herbage, 
is usually placed among the leaves in a more or less 
elevated part of the swamp, out of danger of rising 
water. The eggs are huffy in color, mottled or spotted 
with darker shades, and are generally four in number. 
The Danger of Extermination. 
The growing scarcity of woodcock is a tnatter of seri- 
ous alarm, and one demanding prompt action. It must 
be remembered that there is far more difficulty in sav- 
ing it from extinction than- in preserving gallinaceous 
birds, such as quail and grouse. In the case of these 
birds, with their extraordinary fecundity, it is not diffi- 
cult to restore a depleted covert; for with the addition 
of a few imported birds, aided by a short term of pro- 
tcctioii, they should soon reach their former abundance. 
With the woodcock, however, the situation is different; 
lor the impracticability of restocking, the nature of the 
food, the migratory habits and the small number of 
young are serious obstacles to successful restoration. 
Quick and effective measures are needed. In many 
localities in the North where 25 years ago a fair shot with 
a good dog could secure 40 or 50 bii'ds in a day's hunt 
it is doubtful if 10 per cent, of the former bag could 
now be obtained. During the past autumn (1901) the 
writer visited hundreds of acres of good woodcock 
ground in northern New York without flushing a bird 
or seeing any considerable signs. Reports as to the 
scarcity of birds come from numerous points, and even 
in the most favored localities the decrease within the 
past twenty years has been 50 to 60 per cent. 
The causes that have led to this deplorable state of 
affairs may be summarized as follows (the first two be- 
ing of minor importance compared with the last two): 
Wayne gives the following account of the effect on the 
woodcock of a cold wave which struck the coast of 
South Carolina Feb. 13 and 14, 1899: 
"The woodcock {Philohela minor) arrived in countless 
thousands. Prior to. thcii- arrival I had seen but two 
birds the entire winter. They jvere everywhere and 
were completely bewildered. Tens of thousands were 
killed by would-be sportsmen, and thousands were frozen 
to death. The great majority were so emaciated that 
they were practically feathers, and, of course, were un- 
able to withstand the cold. One man killed 200 pairs 
in a few hours. I shot a dozen birds. Late Tuesday 
afternoon I easily caught several birds on the snow and 
put them into a thawed spot on the edge of a swift 
running stream in order that they would not perish, btVt 
upon going to the place the next morning I found one 
frozen. These were fearfully emaciated and could 
scarcely fly. Two birds were killed in Charleston in 
Broad street. It will be many years before this fine bird 
can establish itself under most favorable conditions.'^* 
Lack of Protcclion in Winter. 
During the winter practically all woodcock inhabit- 
ing the United States are massed within the borders of- 
the South Atlantic and Gulf States. It may be stated 
without fear of contradiction that the widfer the aroa 
over which a species is distributed tfee less danger there 
is of its extinction; and conversely, the smaller the area 
of distribution the greater the danger of extinction. It 
would seem that when a desirable species takes up its 
habitation in a certain region the residents of that region 
would encomage its presence and give it some sort of 
protection. But the history of the bison, wild pigeon, 
and many other mammals and birds shows that such 
support cannot be depended on. Nor does the wood- 
cock form an exception. Of the nine States within 
whose borders most of the woodcock make their winter 
home, seven (namely, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, 
Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas) give the 
birds absolutely no protection — all winter long from 
the arrival in the fall until the departure ift the spring 
they are killed ruthlessly. Moreover, none of these States 
prohibit the shipment of woodcock, which consequently 
can be sent to market without restriction. The other 
two St a'tes (Alabama and South Carolina) protect the 
birds, the former from March 2 to Nov. 15, the laitter 
from April i to Nov. i, and if Jan. i were substituted 
* The Auk, Vol, XVI., p. 197. , 
