the Woodcock in Ireland. 341 



He is of opinion that woodcocks pair before leaving this 

 country in the spring for more northern climates, and re- 

 marks, that in their evening flight at this season they " twist" 

 amazingly, the hinder one following the foremost through 

 every curve or sinuosity of its course, which is extremely 

 rapid. Their call may now be expressed by the word hisp, 

 and by the accurate repetition of which he has brought them 

 back when flying past him ; during the breeding season they, 

 in addition to this, have calls which sound like waap-waap — 

 weep-weep, succeeding each other, and repeated as here set 

 down : both sexes are considered to make use of the two calls. 

 At the season of incubation, they call at early dawn, and at 

 this period their flight is very different from that in the month 

 of March, being now slow or with the wings scarcely moving ; 

 but occasionally they may be seen circling about " as if in 

 play," at all events, describing such a course as evinces that they 

 cannot be in search of food. In winter, my informant believes 

 woodcocks to have a regular line of flight from the covers to 

 their feeding-ground, and acting upon his belief, has, by taking 

 his stand at particular spots, shot many in flying over them. 

 In 1837 three nests were found at Tullamore, the first early 

 in the month of April, when it was surrounded with snow ; 

 they were all sheltered by young trees, and one of them within 

 twenty yards of where a nest had been the preceding year : 

 in each were four eggs, all of which were productive, the 

 young appearing in April. The nests here have in every in- 

 stance been in slight hollows of the ground, with a little grass 

 or dead leaves in the bottom for lining. To withdraw atten- 

 tion from one of these nests when containing young, the pa- 

 rent tumbled about as if wounded, thus feigning to a greater 

 extent than the gamekeeper had ever before witnessed in any 

 species of bird ; and at the same time she gave utterance to a 

 note distinct from those before mentioned, or as expressed to 

 me, " screaching with rage*." The young birds are said to 

 be beautiful in the down, being mottled with black where their 

 parents are so, and cream-coloured where they are brown. 



* When disturbed during incubation, they merely fluttered off the eggs, 

 and alighted at a short distance. 



