252 
ORDERS OF BIRDS— SHORE-BIRDS 
AMERICAN WOODCOCK. 
to November 1. that they are really in evi- 
dence. During the open season they are much 
sought by gunners, — which is the reason why 
there is now only one bird where formerly there 
were ten. 
The American Woodcock 1 is the oddest- 
looking land-bird in North America. Its legs 
are too short for so large a body, its tail is only 
half as long as it should be, its neck is too short 
and too thick, and its head is entirely out of 
drawing. The eyes are placed too far back, 
and the bill is too long and too straight. In 
appearance, the Woodcock looks like an avian 
caricature. 
But, odd or not, this bird is very dear to the 
heart of the great American sportsman, and its 
plump brown body is a genuine delicacy. It 
has a long array of local names, some of which 
are so uncouth that the less said concerning 
them the better. 
The long, sensitive beak of this bird is really 
a probe and a pair of forceps combined, for 
probing in soft earth or mud after earthworms, 
and dragging them out when found. In order 
to feed, the Woodcock has no option but to fre- 
quent the moist banks of wooded streams, or 
wet grounds in the shelter of bushes or timber, 
where it can work unobserved. During the day, 
it lies low to escape observation, and does the 
most of its feeding at night. It is seldom found 
in open ground, and Woodcock shooting is 
much like shooting quail among brush — quick 
and difficult. 
1 Phi-lo-he'la mi'nor. Average length, about 
10.50 inches. 
This bird ranges throughout the United States 
from the Atlantic coast to the edge of the Great 
Plains. In the course of much hunting in cen- 
tral Iowa I never but once shot a specimen of 
this species. 
As a highly esteemed game-bird, Wilson’s 
Snipe, or the Jack Snipe , 2 is a close second to 
the woodcock. Like the latter, it has a long, 
straight bill with a sensitive tip, with which to 
probe down in mud or soft earth of pond mar- 
gins or spring holes, to the home of the angle- 
worm. Unlike the woodcock, however, this 
Snipe is a very well-formed bird, and it feeds 
more in the open, which renders its pursuit 
more fruitful of results. On the wing, it is 
awkward and angular looking. It flies in a 
very angular course, but so rapidly it is a diffi- 
cult mark to hit. When it rises, it utters a 
shrill cry, half scream and half squawk, and in 
windy weather it often Hies quite high. 
This Snipe has a very wide range — from 
Alaska and Hudson’s Bay through all the 
United States, except the arid regions, to north- 
ern South America. Its most conspicuous 
color is brown, striped on the back with black, 
which in brushy ground protects the bird so 
well it is difficult to distinguish it. 
Whenever at the sea-shore in warm weather 
WOODCOCK ON NEST. 
Photographed at a distance of 6 feet, by Le Roy M. 
Txjfts, and copyright, 1903. 
you wander “far from the madding crowd,” 
you may make the acquaintance of the Semi- 
pal mated Sand-Piper , 3 or possibly it will be 
2 Gal-li-na'go del-i-ca'ta. Length, about 11 inches. 
3 Er-e-un-e'les jm-sil'lus. Length, 6 inches. 
