228. Philohela minor. 11 in.

Bill very long; eyes very large and located near the top of the head; form heavy; legs short; plumage much mottled with black, brown and gray. These peculiar birds are very well known throughout their range, to gunners and sportsmen, who have been the means of almost completely exterminating them in some localities. They are found in runs along the edges of brooks, where the mud is soft. Their food is of worms, insects and their larvae, which they get from the ground by boring with their long bills. Their flight is very rapid, and when startled they double and twist in their haste to get away, their three narrow outer wing feathers producing a peculiar whistling sound.

Notes. - A low peep, and a twittering.

Nest. - Simply a hollow amid the surrounding leaves; the 4 eggs are buff, with yellowish-brown spots (1.50 x 1.15); April, May.

Range. - Eastern N. A., breeding chiefly from Ohio and New Jersey, northward; winters in southern U. S.