A YEAR WITH THE BIRDS 
667 
PARTRIDGES 
(Ruffed Grouse) 
Under the alders, along the brooks, 
Under the hemlocks, along the hill, 
Spreading their plumage with furtive looks, 
Daintily pecking the leaves at will ; 
Whir ! and they float from the startled sight — 
And the forest is silent, the air is still. 
Crushing the leaves ’neath our careless feet, 
Snapping the twigs with a heavy tread, 
Dreamy October is late and sweet, 
And stooping we gather a blossom dead ; 
Boom ! and our heart has a thunderous beat 
As the gray apparition flits overhead. 
— Alonzo Teall Worden 
Family Scolopacidae: Snipes, Sandpipers, Etc. 
American Woodcock : Philohela minor. S. R. 
Length: 10- 11 inches. Female an inch longer. 
Male: Eyes large, set in upper corner of head. Short, thick neck and 
compact body. Above variegated with brown, black, tawny, and 
gray. Below brown, ranging from buff to tawny. Legs very 
short. Bill longer than head, straight and stout. 
Note: A peep and a whistle. “ P’t-ul ! P’t-ul ! ” and “ peent, peent.” 
(Brewster.) 
Season: A summer resident; February to December. 
Breeds: Through range, in April and May. 
Nest: A hollow in the ground, lined with a few leaves. 
Eggs : 4 usually, varying from stone-gray to buff, with indefinite 
brown markings and gray cloudings. 
The king of our game birds, to be distinguished from the 
Snipe, which it resembles, by its heavier build, shorter legs, 
and plain red-brown under parts. Though grouped with 
shore birds, it is more frequently to be found in sheltered 
bogs and in woods bordering swamps than by lakes or 
rivers. 
This bird feeds chiefly at night, but when in passing through 
the woods or along the edge of a well-screened roadside brook 
you see sharp holes in the mud, as if made by a knitting needle, 
you may be sure that a Woodcock has been “ boring ” for food 
with his bill, that has a tip so sensitive that he can feel worms 
with it like a finger. 
