Philohela minor . 
Carlisle , 
1379. 
April 8. 
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Mass. Song. 
Mr . Robb ins having notified us that the Woodcock were in 
full song at Carlisle, Jim and I determined to make a trip 
thither for the purpose of hearing them once more. We accord- 
ingly selected this evening which hade fair to be a good one 
for the purpose. Driving up from Concord we arrived at Mr. 
Robbins's a little before sunset . A Woodcock, we found, had 
for several evenings past sung directly behind the house, 
rising first from a bushy run where I examined a nest in 137- , 
and afterwards lighting in the open field that adjoined the 
house. When the sun had fairly set and as the twilight was 
beginning to descend, Arthur Robbins came in to tell us that 
the Woodcock had already begun to bleat . We accordingly went 
out and sure enough at intervals of a half minute or so the 
Night -Hawk-1 ike cry came up from the depth of the hollow in 
the run. Before the first flight upward began we took our 
position on the stone wall that separated the field from the 
bushy hollow, and we afterwards found that we could not have 
been better posted for at the close of his song our long- 
billed friend lit within twenty paces ojS. us and we had an ex- 
cellent opportunity to observe all his motions as he sat on 
the close-cropped and withered yellowish turf. He repeated 
his serenade some six or eight times when it became so dark 
that he ceased altogether for that night. Once he lit within 
