July 22 1889 
My dear Mr. Brewsver:- 
Yours is at hand Yes, 1 remem- 
SY 4 
ber that woodcock perfectly and if jou will turn to pages di 
and 8;© of my-Birds of KB N. A. edition of 1881, you wii find your 
qyestions answered, by notes that I made at the timee As you will 
it was difficult to suppiy “he bird with worms ereue? 
and his boreing ground might have been deficient at the time , 
when you saw lite 
A young Red-breasted Snipe that I once o wned would also 
take worms by Nene, but like the woodcock, preferred to eat 
them above ground ,and would even take them from my hand. 
A strong argument in disfator of your man's hole theory, 
seems t0 me to be that from what we know of the habits af earth 
worms it would be quite difficult for a worm smaller tham the 
e from the 
" 
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diameter of she boreing made by the Woodcock to emer 
exactly the same diameter might get out 
than the bore 
make a hole for itself. You who have duy 
lor fishing know that these animals glide through Canes 
susilve I cannot beleive that a hole of two inches in 
ron would be regarded by them at alle 
I shall be at home all summer and. shall 
an, times You can yeu a conveyance from 

