100 
SCOLOPAX MINOR. 
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 necessary, from the 
respectability of some of our own writers, who seem to 
have adopted this opinion. 
How far to the north our vroodcock 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 latitude ; 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 singular 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 vision, and to secure the eye 
from injury, while the owner was searching 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 underwood, 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 woodcock in 
this country probably originated from the great differ- 
ence of size between the male and female, the latter 
being considerably the larger* 
