55 
1874. 
(Jane 23) 
Philohela minor, 
Middlesex County, Mass, 
One standing in the middle of the 
lows. 
road in the Wil- 
Sept,21, Melvin has found them numerous at Concord through 
the sunrner, rarely failing to start from ten to tvrelvo in 
a day. He saw the last one in a Corn-field September 
6. Since then they have boon exclusively on fall 
ground chiefly birch hillsides. As Woodcock have been 
scarce everywhere else ho is puzzled to know whore those 
came from for they ceratainly v/ere not there in July, 
“ 23. Started one at Concord. 
“ 24. Started eleven at Concord. 
Oct. 5, Melvin started eight at Concord to-day and the same 
number yesterday. 
• 15-* Started twenty-one at Concord and shot seventeen. 
Wo had throe double shots during the day. The birds, 
as a rule, rose rather lazily but often flew surprising¬ 
ly long distances. One very large bird which had boon 
started several times passed high over a largo tract of 
birches where we had first found him, and scaling over 
the top of sopo tall oaks beyond alighted in an opening 
on the further side after a flight of at least five hun¬ 
dred yards. All these birds with the exception of 
two, were-found on birch hillsides and as a rule on the 
very outskirts of the thickets. They averaged large in 
size and in every instance vrhistled as they rose, 
Melvin believes that they run and feed during the da^ at 
this season, a theory borne out by to-day’s experience 
for our dogs seemed to find scent everyv/here and often 
“roadod* birds several rods before flushing them. 
Moreover their borings and chalk-marks wore not concen¬ 
trated in one spot as is the case in summer when Woodcock 
is resident in the locality. 
Started four at Concord all of very small size, 
A Woodcock which vre started in a clump of birches 
bordering a potato dield had been feeding all over this 
field, as v/as conclusively shovm by the numerous borings 
Qtc. At such a season as this when these birds v/ithout 
exception are found on high dry ground, this fact is of 
especial interest. 
Started a very large bird on the edge of some bir¬ 
ches in Belmont. W e fired shots at it when it fell 
in some alders within tvranty yards of us. Upon putting 
in my setter he followed its track thirty yards or more 
out into an open meadow where, to my surprise, it rose 
apparently as v/ell as ever. Another shot, hov/ever, 
brought it down broken-winged. After picking it up and 
