CATALOGUE OF BIRDS. 283 



regard to the relative merits of the Woodcock and 

 the Snipe, and he would positively turn up his nose 

 at the latter, calling- it " a little budd, and no use at 

 all, at all ;" but when he spoke of the Woodcock it 

 would be with the greatest respect, calling it a 

 "noble budd." The fact was, John was simply 

 "gone" on Woodcock. 



I may tell you that no bird in creation better 

 knows how to take care of himself than does our 

 friend, Master Woodcock ; so if you want to be 

 successful in your search for him on the mountains 

 and bogs of Ireland you must make an exact study 

 of the bird's particular likes and dislikes. This 

 John and I used to do regularly every morning 

 before selecting which beat we would take, and on 

 which side of the mountain we would look for our 

 birds. 



Most of my readers, probably, know that the 

 Woodcock is a night-feeding bird ; that being so, 

 having filled himself to his heart's content, he likes 

 to have a comfortable warm place to sleep in 

 during the day time. In choosing a mountain side 

 for the purpose of finding him, never select that side 

 on which a cold keen wind is blowing, but rather 

 the side which is sheltered and warm. Never look 

 for him in places that hold the wet — such as heather, 

 because he doesn't like wet places, and you won't 

 find him in them. At such times rather look for 

 him amongst the boulders in the mountains where 

 he can get a choice of little crevices and caverns in 

 which to keep himself dry. 



T2 



