AMERICAN WOODCOCK. 
99 
and interspersed wltli others of a very pale purple. 
® nest of the woodcock has, in several instances that 
j,' 'e come to my knowledge, been found w'ith eggs in 
; hut its usual time of beginning to lay is 
‘n A])ril. In July, August, and September, they 
^nonsidered in good order for shooting. 
,.L. jj® " oodcock is properly a nocturnal bird, feeding 
^ city at night, and seldom stirring about till after 
thp**^ At such times, as W'cll as in the early part of 
of particularly in spring', he rises by a kind 
^ spiral course to a considerable height in the air, 
lit tinies a sudden fjuach, till, having g-ained his 
™Ost height, he hovers around in a wild irregular 
(lp*‘'*®r, making a sort of murmuring sound; then 
with rapidity as he rose. When uttering his 
Piil’^on note on I lie ground, he seems to do it with diili- 
i(jf5^’*'**^®''’ingliis head toward.s the earth, and fre(|uontly 
iBo'”" niaumuvres are 
fav ^ spring, and are the call of the mate to his 
female. Their food consists of various harvae, 
tliov ‘®'' iiqinifi® wmnns, for which, during the evening, 
Wjfi *‘*’® almost contimially turning over the leaves 
or searching in the hogs. Their flesh is 
ilelicious, and prized highly. They remain 
till late in autumn, and, on the ^ailing of the 
,, descend from the ranges of the Alleghany 
sa.-' ® lower parts of the couiiti'y in great numbers ; 
hich, viz. in November, they move otf to 
®SOUtll. 
T'l ' 
Pp^ ®'S bird, in its general figure and manners, greatly 
Ipjj^® *l®s the woodcock of Kurope, but is considerably 
dijJ‘*’"l Very diftorcntly marked below, being an entirely 
I,.- species. A few traits will clearly jioiiit out 
llieip 
l':"®<lcock"a 
•lifferences. 
Tlie lower parts of the European 
On arc thickly barred with dusky waved linc.s, 
Ihoj, y®ll®"'ish white ground. The present species has 
. parts of a bright ferruginous. The male of the 
f'pi„*{*®an species neighs from five to si.v ounces, the 
1®> ®ighl ; the European, twelve. The European 
a®ock makes its first appearance in Britain in 
