SCOLOPAX MINOR. 
100 
October and November, that country beinw in fact odK 
its winter quarters ; for, early in March, they move 
to the northern parts of the Continent to breed. 
American species, on the contrary, winters in countnf' 
south of the United States, arrives here early in Man'®’ 
extends its migrations as far, at least, as the river ^ 
Lawrence, breeds in all the intermediate places, aw 
retires again to the south on the approach of wintf’’ 
The one migrates from the torrid to the tempera^ 
regions, the other, from the temperate to the ari'ti'^ 
The two birds, therefore, notwithstanding their naia^ 
are the same, dilicr not only in size and markings, ba 
also in native climate. Hence the absurdity of tho^ 
who would persuade us, that the woodcock of Anient' 
crosses the Atlantic to Europe, and vice versa. Tb<^ 
observations have been thought necessary, from tb 
respectability of some of our own writers, who seem 
have adopted this opinion. 
How far to the north our woodcock is found, I 
unable to say. It is not mentioned as a bird of Hudsoa' 
Bay, and, being altogether unknown in the northef*! 
jiarts of Europe, it is very probable that its migratio'” 
do not extend to a very high latitude ; for, it may b* 
laid down as a general rule, that those birds "biw 
migrate to the arctic regions, in either continent, a'; 
very often common to both. The head of the woodc**^ 
is of singular conformation, large, somewhat triangu*?., 
and the eye fixed at a remarkable distance from the * 
and high in the head. This construction was necessa*^ 
to give a greater range of vision, and to secure the 
from injury, w hile the owner was searching in the lU’ | 
The flight of the woodcock is slow. When flushed 
any time in the woods, he rises to the height of 
bushes or underwood, and almost instantly drops beb>‘'y 
them again at a short distance, generally running 
for several yards as soon as he touches the groh>'.^ 
The notion that there are two species of woodcock ' 
this country probably originated from the great din* , 
ence of size between the male and female, the 
being considerably the larger. 
