7o A FEW REMARKS ON THE WOODCOCK. 



locality. Here they recruit their strength. I more particularly observed this 

 to be the case, whilst staying with a friend during the present season, in the 

 vicinity of the moor. If a Woodcock was shot at the commencement of the 

 day very light, and with its breast-bone, as he remarked, ^'keen as a razor," 

 a good day's sport was prognosticated, as he immediately conjectured a flight 

 had arrived, which invariably proved to be correct. Now we know that although 

 all birds living after the manner of the Woodcock, have very quick powers 

 of digestion; yet to reduce them to such a state as this, they must have 

 been very many hours deprived of food, and thus we may surmise have come 

 a long distance. Two or three days, however, serves them to regain their 

 accustomed plump condition, though what astonishes me much, is, that no one 

 seems in that neighbourhood ever to have seen them arrive; thus they must 

 have come during the night, though how they can manage to hit the time seems 

 marvellous. — Do they migrate at a great height, and keep on the wing until 

 the shades of night allow them to drop down unseen, and in security? This 

 is probably the case, at least with some, which are found at that period in 

 the streets of a town or a high-road. Even the Nightjar, so ably treated of 

 by that admirable observer of Nature, White, of Selborne, is not more punctual 

 in its evening flight than this bird. Many are the times I have waited in 

 some noted spot for it to pass; — a glade formed at the top of a vale by a 

 few straggling oaks or firs are almost certain to entice it to wing its way 

 amongst them. 



The habits of this bird lead it, as soon as the Blackbirds and Thrushes 

 have retired to rest in the hollies and thickets, and have uttered their last 

 sharp notes for the night, when a certain darkness seems to drop over the 

 earth for about ten minutes, so as to render small objects undistinguishable 

 on the ground at the distance of twenty yards, to leave its day resort, and 

 fly to some moist ground or swamp in the open, and there spend the night 

 in searching for food, again returning to its place of security during the same 

 light in the morning. This I have frequently proved to be the case when 

 eager to secure a bird, by shooting at one of an evening without success, 

 and getting to the place by the same light in the morning, I have invariably 

 seen it retracing its last night's flight. In this locality countrymen recognise 

 the time by the name of "cock-light." As many as a dozen occasionally pass 

 the same spot within ten minutes; and I have frequently observed two in 

 pursuit of each other. I believe all nets, (formerly known as Roading-nets,) 

 used for the capture of these birds are now abolished. The slow ignition of 

 flint-guns having being superseded by the instantaneous discharge of detonators, 

 has reudered the rapid flight of the Woodcock of no avail as regards baulking 

 the sportsman. 



By the above remarks I do not mean to say the Woodcock does not also 

 feed in coverts by day, and especially in severe weather, when they all quit 

 the hills for the unfrozen alder-beds and warm springs. I frequently noticed 

 last season the fallen oak leaves disturbed in patches for some yards where 



