44 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



that he believed to be Woodcocks, flying together 

 close to the ground in the dusk of the previous 

 evening in the direction of one of the coverts that we 

 were about to beat, one of which was always a pretty 

 sure find for these birds ; surely enough we flushed 

 nineteen Woodcocks, and had the good luck to bring 

 seventeen of them to bag. On another occasion, long 

 before this occurrence, in my early shooting-days, we 

 were beating in Tichmarsh Wood, near Lowick, on the 

 Drayton property, and had nearly finished our day's 

 sport without having, so far as I can recollect, seen 

 a Woodcock, when suddenly we came upon a great 

 number of them. It was growing dark, and we 

 no doubt flushed several birds a second time, but 

 during the short space of daylight that remained 

 there must at least have been forty separate cries 

 of "Woodcock!!" Only nine, however, were killed, 

 and on beating the whole wood (of about 200 acres) 

 over on the following day we only found three. 



The favourite coverts for Woodcocks in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Lilford are the fine range of woodlands 

 on the estate of Lord Lyveden ; but I do not think 

 that the score even there has ever exceeded fifteen in 

 one day. It is impossible to lay down any exact 

 rules as to the most likely parts of any particular 

 wood for Woodcocks. When they first arrive they 

 seem to prefer young under-covert of three or four 

 years' growth ; a thick bramble bush under which 

 they can creep and sit in comparative gloom, with 

 ready exit by means of a rabbits' run, is a very 

 favourite resort, and the dense jungles of old black- 

 thorn, formerly so characteristic of our " forest " 

 country, impervious to man except on hands and 

 knees, but quite hollow at bottom, where the ground 



