196 THE BIRDS OF SHERWOOD FOREST. 
four young ones. She fluttered round them for a few 
minutes in great alarm, and then taking up one under 
one of her wings she ran off with it for a short distance, 
beating the ground with the other wing in the manner 
of the partridge; the remaining three young ones 
quickly concealing themselves in the grass and fern. 
A friend of mine, who was a very close observer, 
informed me that he came on a nest in a wood called 
the Catwins, where the young, four in number, and only 
recently hatched, were being brooded by the female. 
On being discovered she did not stir, but hissed at him 
like a goose, in order to deter his approach. His curio- 
sity prompted him to advance within a yard to see 
what, she would do, when she merely moved off about 
the same distance, followed by her young family, and 
again brooded them. The tiny things were covered with 
blackish down, very similar to the young of the water- 
hen, and with their long bills looked very funny little 
fellows. 
A week before this Mr. Mansell found a nest with 
four eggs in a dry place at the foot of a furze bush in 
Thoresby Park ; but, contrary to the usual habit, it was 
in a most exposed situation, being only about five yards 
from the public carriage-way leading to Clumber, and 
no attempt at concealment had been made. These eggs 
were safely hatched a few days afterwards. A nest 
which I found in Blyth Corner Wood consisted merely 
of a layer of dead leaves, with a few pieces of dry fern, 
and was warmly placed in a dry spot at the foot of a 
bush amongst various trees of large growth, and within 
a short distance of a small shallow pool. 
_ These instances of the woodcock’s breeding were, of 
course, only accidentally discovered in closely-kept pre- 
