5T 
Philohela minor, 
1875, i 
Middlesox County, Mass. 
(June ISiJ had disappeared at the first alarm, r ©turned and fly¬ 
ing slov/ly by with dangling legs, alighted within ten 
yards and spreading her wings fluttered off over the 
leaves trying to entice me to follow her. The young 
v/ere about tv/o-thirds grown; neither they nor the 
mother v/histled when flying, 
July 5, Started three in the Warren Run, all young birds, 
full grovm and in good condition. Tv/o v/ere in thick 
scrub oaks on a hillside, the other in long grass in a 
meadow. 
" 30, Startee a very large bird under apple trees in Bel- 
mon t. 
Sept,13, Shot one in the Maple Swamp, It rose v/ithout mak¬ 
ing a particle of noise. 
• 18. 
“ 24. 
Nov, 2. 
Two at Concord, one on a birch hillside, the other 
among dense alders in a wet run; one whistled, the other 
rone silently; both were in the middle of the moult. 
Melvin started ton at Concord; ho considers this 
the first flight. 
Melvin started six to—day and the same number yester¬ 
day (Concord), 
1876. 
Mar, 14, Two wore seen in Melrose March 12. Goodalo tolls 
mo that ho had one brought to him December 6, 1875, which 
had been killed in Waltham the previous day, 
Apr, 8. Five started in the Cotton Run by Deane. 
• 25, Searched the Warren Run carefully for a nest my 
setter found and started a male Woodcock within six foot 
of v/here I took the nest last year but I could find nei¬ 
ther the female nor the nest to-day. 
30, Hunted again for the Wodcock’s nest in the Warren 
Run but could not find it, although the wo started the 
male in nearly the same spot where he was seen on the 
2.5th, 
3* Melvin showed me a nest at Carlisle. The female 
was sitting and three of us accompanied by a pointer dog 
approached v/ithin arms length of the nest vathout dis¬ 
turbing her and sitting down in a circle about it watch¬ 
ed her for at least fifteen minutes. During this time 
she remained perfectly still, the slight, almost imper¬ 
ceptible, movement of the tail and back alone betraying 
the rapid beating of her anxious heart. Her full dark 
©jtes, however, regarded us calmly and during all the time 
