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CHAPTER X 



THE WOODCOCK. SCOLOPAX MINOR 



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' Hie in ! At that glad ■word away tliey dart, 

 And, Tvinding various ways, with careful speed 

 Explore the cover. Hark! that quest proclaims 

 The woodcock's haunt." 



THE CLAIMS OF THE WOODCOCK. 



•A ^ HAT bird is there in the catalogue of 

 the American sportsman Avhich surpasses 

 the woodcock, whether we consider the 

 beauty of its plumage, its general con- 

 tour, the richness and delicacy of its 

 ^ meat, or the pleasure derived from shoot- 

 . ing it? Sportsmen eagerly pursue this 

 interesting and noble bird in every quarter 

 where he makes his appearance, and ex- 

 perience more gratification in the display 



of a couple of woodcocks than they would in the triumphant exlii- 

 IGG 



