WOODCOCK AND WOODLARK 119 



white shoulder, with terminal black bar, followed by green 

 speculum, tipped with black underneath; dark-brown wing and 

 tail-feathers; same colour on legs and feet. Female mottled 

 with greyish-brown above; whitish on shoulder; greyish-green 

 speculum; underneath mottled bumsh-white. In July male 

 assumes plumage of female. Length. — Eighteen inches. 



WOODCOCK (Scolopax rusticula) 



Local Name. — Cock. 



Haunt. — Woods, plantations, damp moors, and spinneys. 



Nesting Period. — March to May. 



Site of Nest — A slight depression in the ground, at foot of a tree, etc. 



Materials Used. — Dead grass, 



leaves, and bracken. 

 Eggs. — Four. Dirty white, 



blotched and spotted with 



various shades of pale brown 



and purplish-grey. 

 Food.- — Insects and worms. ) 

 Voice. — Call, a shrill Snipe-like " skaych " and 



" vessop." On wing, " crok, crok, weet, crok, 



crok, weet " (" crok " hoarse, " weet " sharp). 



Barks and hisses when young are molested. 

 Chief Features. — A wandering bird, nocturnal in 



habits ; carries its young away when in danger. F - " Head of 



Possesses a remarkable darting flight. Male "woodcock. 



resorts to curious antics at pairing time. A 



large immigration takes place on our shores during Autumn. 



Note long beak and bulbous eye near forehead. 

 Plumage. — Reddish-brown above, barred and vermiculated with 



black; wood-brown underneath, with darker bars of brown. 



The sexes are similar. Length. — Fourteen inches. 



WOODLARK (Alauda arbor ea) 



Local Names. — Lark, Laverock, Wood well. 



Haunt. — Woods and commons. 



Nesting Period. — March onwards. 



Site of Nest. — On the ground among herbage, or in a low bush. 



Materials Used. — Grass and bents, sometimes a little moss outside 



and hair inside. 

 Eggs. — Four or Five. Greyish, closely freckled with reddish-brown. 



Darker and smaller than those of the Skylark. 

 Food. — Insects, grass blades, and seeds. 



