254 Birds Every Child Should Know 
be able to see behind him quite as well as he 
can look ahead; the streaks and bars of his 
mottled russet-brown, gray and buff and black 
upper parts being so laid on that he is in per- 
fect harmony with the russet leaves, earth and 
underbrush of his woodland home. When his 
mate is sitting on her nest, the mimicry of her 
surroundings is so perfect it is well-nigh im- 
possible to find her. 
Sportsmen pursue both the woodcock and 
Wilson’s snipe relentlessly, but happily they 
are no easy targets. Rising on short, stiff, 
whistling wings they fly in a zig-zag, erratic 
flight, and quickly drop to cover again, con- 
tinually breaking the scent for a pursuing 
dog. 
RAILS 
Rails are such shy, skulking hiders among 
the tall marsh grasses that “every child” need 
never hope to know them all ; but a few mem- 
bers of the family that are both abundant and 
noisy, may be readily recognised by their voices 
alone. 
All rails prefer to escape from an intruder 
through the sedges in well-worn runways rather 
than trust their short, rounded wings to bear 
them beyond danger ; and for forcing their way 
through grassy jungles, their narrow-breasted, 
