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T H E A M E R I C A N W O O D C O C K.
SCOLOPAX MINOR, GMEL.
P L A T E C C L X V I I I . MALE, FEMALE, AND YOUNG.
THERE is a kind of innocent simplicity in our Woodcock, which has
often excited in me a deep feeling of anxiety, when I witnessed the rude
and unmerciful attempts of mischievous boys, on meeting a mother bird
in vain attempting to preserve her dear brood from their savage grasp.
She scarcely limps, nor does she often flutter along the ground, on such
occasions ; but with half extended wings, inclining her head to one side,
and uttering a soft murmur, she moves to and fro, urging her young to
hasten towards some secure spot beyond the reach of their enemies. Regardless
of her own danger, she would to all appearance gladly suffer
herself to be seized, could she be assured that by such a sacrifice she
might ensure the safety of her brood. On an occasion of this kind, I saw
a female Woodcock lay herself down on the middle of a road, as if she
were dead, while her little ones, five in number, were endeavouring on
feeble legs to escape from a pack of naughty boys, who had already
caught one of them, and were kicking it over the dust in barbarous sport.
The mother might have shared the same fate, had I not happened to issue
from the thicket, and interpose in her behalf.
The American Woodcock, although allied to our Common Snipe,
Scolopax Wilsonii, differs essentially from it in its habits, even more than
in form. The former is a much gentler bird than the latter, and although
both see at night, the Woodcock is more nocturnal than the Snipe. The
latter often, without provocation or apparent object, migrates or takes
long and elevated flights during the day ; but the Woodcock rarely takes
flight at this time, unless forced to do so to elude its enemies, and even
then removes only to a short distance. When rambling unconcernedly,
it rarely passes high above the tree tops, or is seen before the dusk or
after the morning twilight, when it flies rather low, generally through
the woods; and its travels are altogether performed under night. The
largeness of its eyes, as compared with those of the Snipe, might of itself
enable one to form such a conclusion ; but there is moreover a difference
in the habits of the Woodcock and Snipe, which I have been surprised at
AMERICAN WOODCOCK. 475
not finding mentioned by WILSON, who certainly was an acute observer.
It is that the Woodcock, although a prober of the mire, frequently alights
in the interior of extensive forests, where little moisture can be seen, for
the purpose of turning up the dead leaves with its bill, in search of
food beneath them, in the manner of the Passenger Pigeon, various
Grakles, and other birds. This the Snipe, I believe, has never been observed
to do. Indeed, although the latter at times alights on the borders
of pools or streams overhung by trees, it never flies through the woods.
The American Woodcock, which in New Brunswick is named the
Bog-sucker, is found dispersed in abundance during winter, over the
southern parts of the Union, and now and then, in warm and sequestered
places, even in the Middle Districts. Its stay in any portion of the country
at this period, seems to depend altogether on the state of the weather.
In the Carolinas, or even in Lower Louisiana, after a night of severe frost,
I have found their number greatly diminished in places where they had
been observed to be plentiful the day before. The limits of its northern
migrations at the commencement of the breeding season, are yet unascertained.
When in Newfoundland I was assured that it breeds there; but
I met with none either in that country or in Labrador, although it is not
rare in the British Provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia duringsummer.
From the beginning of March until late in October, this bird
may be found in every district of the Union that affords places suited to
its habits; and its numbers, I am persuaded, are much greater than is
usually supposed. As it feeds by night, it is rarely met with by day, unless
by a sportsman or gunner, who may be engaged in pursuing it for
pleasure or profit. It is, however, killed in almost incredible numbers,
from the beginning of July until late in winter, in different parts of the
Union, and our markets are amply supplied with it during its season.
You may at times see gunners returning from their sports with a load of
Woodcocks, composed of several dozens ; nay, adepts in the sport have
been known to kill upwards of a hundred in the course of a day, being
assisted by relays of dogs, and perhaps a change of guns. In Lower
Louisiana, they are slaughtered under night by men carrying lighted
torches, which so surprise the poor things that they stand gazing on the
light until knocked dead with a pole or cane. This, however, takes place
only on the sugar and cotton plantations.
At the time when the Woodcocks are travelling from the south towards
all parts of the United States, on their way to their breeding places,