19 J 3- 
Pkkceval. — The Movements of Woodcock. 209 
In 191 1, we were again unable to catch many young 
birds, and I can only account for 10 rings having been put 
on, and that winter we shot 3 of these birds, also one of 
1909, and one of 1910, and the same season two of our 191 1 
birds were shot in the vicinity. One was shot close to our 
mcaring, and the other about 12 miles away. 
Last spring (191 2) was exceptional!}/ bad for finding 
young Woodcock, as the undergrowth grew up very early, 
and it was nearly impossible to come across the young 
birds, in spite of the fact that more Woodcock than ever 
nested here. Seven birds only had rings put on, and 01 
these we shot two, as well as two others having 1911 rings 
on. I have not heard of any of our ringed birds having 
been shot elsewhere, beyond those I have mentioned that 
were shot in this neighbourhood. Others may have been 
got by poachers on adjoining bits of unpreserved land 
about which I should naturally hear nothing. I may say 
that in spite of the number of Woodcock that nest here, 
it is alwa3/s most difficult to catch the young birds, as the 
undergrowth is very heavy, and if one happens to drop 
across a clutch of young Woodcock, they run like mice, 
and are hidden under a fern or a bunch of leaves in a 
second, and are then nearly impossible to find. The only 
way to deal with them is to grab what one can with both 
hands, put them in the pocket, and then put the rings on 
one by one, and let them go. As a rule, the first 
notice one gets is to see the old bird rise up carrying one 
of the young and screaming ; then if quick enough one 
may see the rest of the brood (usually four in all) running 
in all directions for shelter, and it is not easy to get more 
than one or two however quick one may be. We have 
noticed that it is practically hopeless to watch a nest with 
the idea of putting rings on the young birds when they 
are hatched off. Often as it has been tried here, it has 
never succeeded. The old bird is far too cunning, and 
when she knows that her nest has been discovered, she 
removes the young to a safer place directly they are hatched 
off. Though we have watched nests most carefully with 
a view to marking the young birds, all the satisfaction we 
have ever got has been to tind the eggshells some morning, 
