106 
WOODCOCK. 
rican species weiglis from five to six ounces, the female eight: 
the European twelve. The European Woodcock makes its first 
appearance in Britain in October and November, that country 
being in fact only its winter quarters; for early in March they 
move off to the northern parts of the continent to breed. The 
American 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 temperate to the arctic. 
The two birds, therefore, notwithstanding 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 Woodcock of America crosses the Atlantic to Europe, 
and vice versa. These observations have been thought necessa- 
ry, 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 unable 
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 lati- 
tude; 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 common to both. The head of the Woodcock is of singu- 
lar conformation, large, somewhat triangular, and the eye fixed 
at a remarkable distance from the bill, and high in the head. 
This construction was necessary to give a greater range of vi- 
sion, and to secure the eye from injury while the owner is search- 
ing 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 running off for several yards 
as soon as he touches the ground. The notion that there are two 
species of Wooodcock in this country probably originated from 
