122 THE BIRDS OF TflE BRITISH ISLES. 



that of the rising Snipe, and I have heard a short ^?V;', which 

 reminded me of the winter flight note of the Skylark. In spring, 

 when the males are " roding'' in the early morning or at dusk, 

 they have more to say. Mr. C. B. Moffat states that the bird 

 gives " a deep, constantly repeated croak— croho, croho —varied 

 at regular intervals by a shrill screech— r/^2>2zV." The birds 

 roll and twist, dart and dash, during this courtship flight, and 

 Mr. Moffat has seen rivals fly alongside, chirruping loudly, 

 apparently in defiance. When displaying on the ground the 

 cock struts with uplifted and spread tail, drooped wings, and 

 puffed-out feathers. 



In the winter wood the colour of the plumage hides the 

 Woodcock ; on the nest it is almost invisible. The nest in 

 itself is little more than a depression in the fallen leaves, often 

 of oak or beech, still plentiful in March when the four eggs 

 (Plate 54) are laid, for the Woodcock is an early nester ; our 

 breeding birds are usually sitting before the emigrants have left. 

 Though I knew that a bird was sitting under a particular 

 honeysuckle spray a few feet from where I was standing, I only 

 saw it when the warmer tints of a patch amongst the leaves 

 led my gaze to the big brown eye and thus to the outline of 

 the sitter. It never moved so long as I watched it. The 

 nestlings are rich buff with dark longitudinal bands on head 

 and back, and a dark band crosses from eye to eye ; the down 

 is flecked with white. It is not certain that the old bird carries 

 them to and from the wet feeding ground, but she will carry 

 them away if the nesting site has been discovered. As to how 

 this is accomplished is one of the ever-fruitful themes for 

 ornithological squabbles ; it does not seem to occur to most 

 people that birds of one species or even an individual may 

 employ different methods. I have not been lucky enough to 

 see the act myself, but I have the evidence of eye-witnesses in 

 whom I can rely. St. John's original statement that the young 

 are held in the feet, the legs hanging, is at times correct ; Mr. 



