56 
18S'4. 
(Oct.30) 
1875. 
Apr, 17. 
“ 24. 
June 15. 
Philohela minor. 
Middlesex County, Mass. 
while admiring its beautiful plumage and bright hazel 
eyes it suddenly began to flap its uninjured v/ing, each 
stroke of which produced a distinct note of the charac¬ 
teristic whistle, thus finally settling the question as 
to v/hether this sound is produced by the wings or by 
Vocal organs. 
On April 15 I visited Carlisle to hoar Woodcock sing 
but none wore either seen or heard. Mr.Robbins hoard 
them there three nights in succession. The 8th, 9th, 
and 10th; ho has heard none since. 
Pound a nest in the Warren Run, Waltham. In sear¬ 
ching for it ny setter first pointed the male; after mak¬ 
ing sure that it did not rise from the nest I started the 
dog on again and he soon came to another point. Feeling 
sure of the nest this time I scrutinized the ground in 
^11 directions ahead of him in hopes of discovering the 
sitting bird, I could see nothing, however, but the 
universal .Yoodland carpet of dry loaves and many tinted 
mosses v/^ith Antiopo Butterflies playing about in the sun¬ 
shine until, taking another step towards the statuesque 
setter, I placed my hand for support, on a small birch 
sapling, v^hen, v/ith hanging legs and a scarce audible 
flutter, a large Woodcock sprang from the ground at my 
very feet and rising straight up among the birches, v/hist— 
ledoff in the usual nmnner. Looking down there wore 
the eggs gour in number, conspicuous enough now on their 
bed of dry oak leaves and grasses. After taking a good 
at them I withdrew about fifty yards and concealed my¬ 
self in hope that the old bird would return, but she 
did not although I waited there just an hour by the watch. 
This nest v/as placed at the foot of a birch sapling on 
top of a little mound where it vras elevated scarcely more 
than a foot above the surrounding water. It was in about 
the middle of a springy run. The cover though dense 
along the border of the run v;as, in the neighborhood of 
the nest, low and scanty. The nest v/as composed chiefly 
of leaves and dry grasses carefully and smoothly arranged 
and was distinctly hollowed in the centre, A few feath-* 
ers from the Bird’s breast were mingled with the other 
materials. The eggs had been incubated about a week 
The male v/hich I flushed first was lying some twenty 
yards from his sitting mate. 
Four young Woodcock accompanied by their mother in 
tall maple and oak grove bordering a brook. Two of the 
young rose first quickly follov/ed by the old bird. The 
whole five were lying close together but scattered in 
all directions when flushed. Following one of the young 
birds I started it again when it v/ent off strongly fly¬ 
ing at least two hundred yards. At this the mother, who 
