. The oist . found the second week inApril. The eggs vary greatly in sizeand coloring. I have them from to X The color abrownish clay to buff, or more gray- THE OOLOGIST 39 ish, with numberless chocolate brownsurface markings and stone-gray shellspots. (Coues). During the breeding season, thesoaring flight of the male bird is aninteresting sight and one that compar-atively few observers have been priv-iledged to witness. Loitering in theirfavorite haunts at dusk ones atten-tion is first attracted by a rather harshcall note,—a sort of a squawk, utteredby the bird, while o
. The oist . found the second week inApril. The eggs vary greatly in sizeand coloring. I have them from to X The color abrownish clay to buff, or more gray- THE OOLOGIST 39 ish, with numberless chocolate brownsurface markings and stone-gray shellspots. (Coues). During the breeding season, thesoaring flight of the male bird is aninteresting sight and one that compar-atively few observers have been priv-iledged to witness. Loitering in theirfavorite haunts at dusk ones atten-tion is first attracted by a rather harshcall note,—a sort of a squawk, utteredby the bird, while on the wing. By denly down in a zigzag courseto the s])Ot from which it then struts for a few minutes and isoff again on another flight. It requires an experienced eye todetect the brooding bird as its plum-age blends so naturally with the sur-roundings. Sometimes the weather is very un-favorable for them as in the Springof 1904, when we found the Woodcockin hard luck. In our locality from. Woodcock on Nest going cautiously in the direction ofthe call, making advances only whenthe bird is in the air, it is possible toapproach within a few feet of the spotfrom which it started and to which itwill return after each flight. Aftersweeping along the ground for aboutforty yards, it ascends spirally intothe air, until almost out of sight in theincreasing darkness. It continues tosoar for a short time and then sud- the frst to the thirteenth of April isusually the time to look for full setsof their eggs. That year was no ex-ception to the rule, although at thetime referred to, we had been visitedby a heavy snow storm which coveredthe ground to the depth of severalinches. The snow had been partiallymelted by the sun, but froze hardduring the ensuing night. Two dayslater another snow storm occurred. 40 THE OOLOGIST The next morning found us on theground, which is an ideal locality forthe nesting of this bird. The groundwas then completely covered, withabout five ncbes
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1880, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1886
