AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
159 
the northern parts of the continent to breed. The Ameri- 
can 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 tempe- 
rate 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 Wood- 
cock of America crosses the Atlantic to Europe, and 
vice versa. These observations have been thought neces- 
sary, 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 un- 
able 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 coihmon to both. 
The head of the Woodcock is of singular conformation, 
large, somewhat triangular, and the eye fixed at a remarka- 
ble 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 is 
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 run- 
ning off for several yards as soon as he touches the ground. 
The notion that there are two species of Woodcock in this 
country probably originated from the great difference be- 
tween the male and female, the latter being considerably 
the larger. 
The male Woodcock is ten inches and a half long, and 
sixteen inches in extent; bill a brownish flesh colour, black 
towards the tip, the upper mandible ending in a slight nob, 
that projects about one-tenth of an inch beyond the lower,* 
each grooved, and in length somewhat more than two 
inches and a half; forehead, line over the eye, and whole 
lower parts, reddish tawny; sides of the neck inclining to 
ash; between the eye and bill, a slight streak of dark 
brown; crown, from the fore-part of the eye backwards, 
black, crossed by three narrow bands of brownish white" 
cheeks marked with a bar of black, variegated with light 
* Mr. Pennant, (Arct. Zool. p. 463.) in describing the American Woodcock 
says, that the lower mandible is much shorter than the upper. From the appear- 
ance of his figure it' is evident that the specimen from which that and his de- 
scription were taken, had lost nearly half an inch from the lower mandible, 
probably broken off by accident. Turton and others have repeated this mis- 
take. 
brown; edges of the back and of the scapulars, pale bluish 
white; back and scapulars, deep black, each feather tipt or 
marbled with light brown and bright ferruginous, with 
numerous fine zigzag lines of black crossing the lighter 
parts; quills plain dusky brown; tail black, each feather 
marked along the outer edge with small spots of pale brown, 
and ending in narrow tips of a pale drab colour above, and 
silvery white below; lining of the wing bright rust; legs 
and feet a pale reddish flesh colour; eye very full and 
black, seated high, and very far back in the head; weight 
five ounces and a half, sometimes six. 
The female is twelve inches long, and eighteen in extent; 
weighs eight ounces; and differs also in having the bill very 
near three inches in length; the black on the back is not 
quite so intense; and the sides under the wings are slightly 
barred with dusky. 
The young Woodcocks, of a week or ten days old, are 
covered with down of a brownish white colour, and are 
marked from the bill, along the crown to the hind-head, 
with a broad stripe of deep brown; another line of the same 
passes through the eyes to the hind-head, curving under 
the eye; from the back to the rudiments of the tail runs 
another of the same tint, and also on the sides under the 
wings; the throat and breast are considerably tinged with 
rufous; and the quills, at this age, are just bursting from 
their light blue sheaths, and appear marbled as in the old 
birds; the legs and bill are of a pale purplish ash colour, 
the latter about an inch long. When taken, they utter a 
long, clear, but feeble, peep, not louder than that of a mouse. 
They are far inferior to young Partridges in running and 
skulking; and should the female unfortunately be killed, 
may easily be taken on the spot. 
INDIAN HUNTERS. 
A good hunter is, among the Indians, as much distin- 
guished as a valiant -warrior, and is always more wise and less 
depraved. When hunting, every Indian is attentive to his 
duty, and nothing but his duty. He forgets quarrelling, 
gaming, (which also is one of his vices,) and even his ferocity. 
Some of the traders, who follow every year in their train, have 
assured me that the winter Indian and the summer Indian 
are totally different beings. During summer, he is always 
in a state of indolence, which degrades and brutifies man in 
his most civilized and best educated state: the winter he 
^passes in labour, which tames and softens characters the 
most reckless and ferocious.^. In hunting, the Indians are 
indefatigable, though engaged in exercise incessant and most 
laborious; and the success with which they pursue their vari- 
ous game through both prairies and forests, in lakes andrivers, 
displays strongly the acuteness of their understandings. 
Beltrami. 
