. American bird magazine, ornithology. Birds. BILL OF WOODCOCK, SHOWING EXTENT TO WHICH UPPER MANDIBLE CAN BE MOVED. that by constantly being on the watch for the various enemies which delight in a feast upon their flesh, their eyes have gradually, through successive gen e r a ti o n s , been brought to the present po- sition on the top of the head, as that is the di- rection from which danger would be most apt to come. About the latter part of March, as soon as the frost has commenced to get out of the ground so that it can be penetrated with their bills, they return to the North and their ne
. American bird magazine, ornithology. Birds. BILL OF WOODCOCK, SHOWING EXTENT TO WHICH UPPER MANDIBLE CAN BE MOVED. that by constantly being on the watch for the various enemies which delight in a feast upon their flesh, their eyes have gradually, through successive gen e r a ti o n s , been brought to the present po- sition on the top of the head, as that is the di- rection from which danger would be most apt to come. About the latter part of March, as soon as the frost has commenced to get out of the ground so that it can be penetrated with their bills, they return to the North and their nesting places. It has been found that the bill of a Woodcock, besides serving as a probe, is also used as a finger to grasp the delicacy when it has been found. The tip of the bill is very sensitive, so that the owner can tell when he has found the morsel for which he is looking. He can then curve the upper mandible upwards, grasp the insect and draw it from the ground. The advant- age of this power, to move the end of the bill at will, can be seen when it is considered that it would be impossible to open the entire bill when inserted in the earth, and would therefore be impossible for them to get their food after having found it. A n o th er peculiarity in the W o o d- cock's con- struction is the wing. The three outer pri- maries are much narrower than others and stiffened. It is claimed that these are responsible for the peculiar whistling noise that always accompanies their flight when su ddenly startled. The few mouthfuls of! flesh that can be gleaned from their little bodies are highly esteemed by sportsmen, and they are one of the most persistently hunted of the game birds. They lie very close, trusting to their dried leaf colored plumage to conceal them; but when startled, fly very swiftly and in a zigzag course that makes their escape quite cer- tain when a novice is behind the gun. With an experienced hunter, their chances of getting away are very slim, especially if,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1903