THE Woopcock. 47 
after daylight had become full in the earliest weeks of November, 
And these were invariably flying at a great height and at a 
tremendous pace. But when migration took place in windy 
weather they flew low down, and would be seen flying along 
the hedgerows, evidently seeking for cover on which to alight. 
At such times they could be picked up in very unexpected places, 
in gardens, fields, and merse, away altogether from their usual 
haunts. Another vexed question in connection with the wood- 
cock’s history was that now it bred in this district annually in 
very large numbers. Many thought this was a new thing; but 
it had taken place ever since he remembered. In his earliest 
days of bird-nesting and bird watching he had always found 
many woodcock nests in suitable places. What was a suitable 
place was not well defined. He had often thought that young 
plantations, from fifteen to eighteen years of age, were their 
favourite places. When the woods had attained a certain 
height the woodcocks left them entirely. Not long ago he had 
the pleasure of handling an egg of a woodcock that was taken 
close to the foot of Criffel so long ago as 1828, so that even 
at that time they had been known to breed here. But no doubt, 
as Mr Gladstone had pointed out, the woodcocks were extending 
their range, and probably were breeding here in greater numbers 
than used to be the case a number of years ago. Many of the 
northern ducks, particularly those coming from the great north- 
eastern territory, extending westwards, had been found here in 
greater numbers, and no doubt they were extending their range 
because of some obscure climatic or other change. The curious 
habits of the woodcock in the evening had been explained in a 
very interesting manner indeed by Mr Gladstone. It was a 
fascinating sight to see the woodcocks take these long, myste- 
rious evening flights. But one year these roading lines might be 
very numerously occupied, and another season the birds were 
somewhere else; not a woodcock might be seen there. What 
that depended upon was another obscure point. Mr Gladstone 
referred to the almost unique habit that the woodcocks had of 
carrying their young when danger threatened. He had only 
seen that on one occasion, and it was about thirty years ago. 
_ About the same period Wolff, the celebrated painter of animal 
subjects, painted a curious picture showing the old bird holding 
the young in its feet, just as a falcon or sparrow hawk or any 
