THE NATURALIST AND COLLECTOR 
67 
The Nesting Habits of the Woodcock. 
at\HE Whistling Woodcock, or, as he 
JL is often called by the hunter, the 
long-bill or bog-sucker, is a very 
interesting species, both to the lover of 
observations and as well to the wing- 
shot who eagerly seeks him in the 
covers. Viewed as an adaptation to 
requirements, its oddly shaped bill and 
peculiar coloration may not cause us 
to wonder, but to the curious its oddity 
of form and habits, together with its 
mysterious ways, are ever a cause of 
comment. The artist is highly pleased 
with the matchless shades of umber, 
siennas and Caledonian and bone 
browns, and one could not wish for a 
handsomer combination of mottled 
colors. These blended shades afford 
the hunted bird its needed protective 
disguise, so essential to its safety. 
This interesting species varies in its 
period of arrival from the south, in 
Lower Michigan. It is not rare to find 
the birds as early as March first, and'it 
has been recorded in January and Feb¬ 
ruary. In fact, the species may be said 
to be a winter resident at times, but 
the majority of the birds do not appear 
until after March fifteenth or even 
later, being regulated in their appear¬ 
ance, as with the snipe, by the condi¬ 
tion of the ground about their feeding 
haunts. At the proper time a great 
many woodcock drop down upon us. 
Some fine, moist morning in spring a 
cover may be found well supplied with 
birds, which did not contain a speci¬ 
men of this species the day before. 
This results from the habit of the 
woodcock, shared in by most, if not 
a.ll of the birds of this class, of mi¬ 
grating in the night-time. The habit 
is often the cause of its death, for as 
the long-bill flies low it is not rare that 
a bird comes in contact with one of the 
many wires which interlace the entire 
country. 
About the middle of April the mating 
season is at its height, although I am 
fairly well satisfied that the birds are 
generally mated upon their arrival 
from the south. Nevertheless, the 
festive woodcock passes through a 
seasonal love-making and at this time 
the so-called song may be heard. It is 
rare to hear the love-song later than 
June tenth, though information as to 
its being heard in autumn is occasion¬ 
ally offered. This song is, so far as 
my observations go, confined to a sin¬ 
gle note, although from descriptions 
read, one might consider the long-bill 
a musical prodigy. 
The note, which maybe called' its 
love-song, is always, so far as I am 
able to learn, uttered while the bird is 
on the wing. Though so simple, it is 
never uttered often enough to be called 
monotonous. It is rarely-heard unless 
one seeks the haunts of the woodcock 
at twilight’s hour. Simple though it 
is, the song undoubtedly answers the 
purpose of charming the lady in the 
case as fully as the refrain of the more 
gifted thrush or the tanager’s pleasing 
carol. We may well believe, too, that 
there is a little brown hen listening to 
the notes as she sits among the damp 
leaves of the glade or beneath some 
protecting bush, or, perhaps, already 
broods her four spotted eggs. The 
male dashes about the willow copse, 
marsh, lake or river more after the man¬ 
ner of a large bat {ban a sensible bird. 
Suddenly he plunges into a damp patch 
and proceeds to fill up on soft insects 
and worms. No one who has not 
studied the subject can calculate how 
great an amount of food of this nature 
a single bird can manage to stow away. 
