AMERICAN WOODCOCK 73 



will not stop in his pursuit of other game to hunt some favorite 

 corner, some woodland border, or some brushy hillside where he has 

 flushed this bird of mystery before? And what a thrill he gets as 

 the brown ball of feathers suddenly flutters up from almost under- 

 foot among the crisp autumn leaves, dodging up through the branches 

 with a whistled note of warning, and flies away over the treetops ! 

 Perhaps he was too surprised at first to shoot; but, if he marked it 

 down, he can soon flush it again, for it has not gone far ; then, if he is 

 quick and true at snap shooting, he may pick up the coveted prize, 

 admire the soft, warm, ruddy breast, the pretty pattern of woodland 

 lights and shades, the delicate long bill, and the big liquid eyes. 

 An aristocrat among game birds ! 



In the early days, when I first began shooting, summer woodcock 

 shooting was regularly practiced; the season opened in July, when 

 the young birds of late broods were not large enough to furnish good 

 sport and were not fit for the table. Moreover, the weather was 

 often hot and the foliage was dense, making it unsatisfactory for 

 the sportsmen. The only excuse for it was that it allowed some 

 shooting in certain sections where local birds departed early and 

 where flight birds seldom occurred. It went far towards extermi- 

 nating local breeding birds in Massachusetts; it was bad for all 

 concerned, and it is well that it was abandoned. 



From the above and other causes woodcocks have decreased alarm- 

 ingly during the past 50 years. One gets an impressive idea of 

 the former abundance of the birds by reading the quaint shooting 

 tales of Frank Forester, in which he boasts of having shot with a 

 friend 125 birds in one day and 70 the next day before noon, and 

 this with the old-fashioned muzzle-loading guns. His hunting trips 

 were joyous occasions, in which the noonday luncheon, washed down 

 with ample draughts of applejack, held a prominent place. 



By far the best shooting is to be had on flight birds, which are 

 big and fat and strong on the wing. In warm weather they fre- 

 quent the black alder thickets where there are bunches of grass and 

 weeds, or the vicinity of brooks or springs where there is a growth 

 of alders, willows, and birches. On crisp, cold days in October they 

 may be found on sunny hillsides or ridges, among birches, bayber- 

 ries, or huckleberries, on the sunny edges of the woods, in cedar 

 pastures, in locust scrub, or even in old scrubby orchards. For 

 shooting in thick cover a light short-barreled gun that scatters well 

 is desirable, for snapshots at short range are often necessary. I 

 prefer a light charge of fine shot, which scatters more and does not 

 tear the birds so badly. A good dog adds much to the pleasure of 

 hunting and is very helpful in locating or retrieving birds. 

 The birds will sometimes run for short distances before a setter or 



