312 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 
known of it, it is not strange that the little accurate 
knowledge is obscured by the air of much mystery, 
and that those who seek the bird find a fascination in 
it greater than that of any other form of game bird 
shooting. The bird itself is of peculiar form and of 
rare richness in its colorings, and its flesh is esteemed 
a morsel of choice excellence fit for the palate of the 
most fastidious epicure. Thus it affords great sport 
in its capture and is pleasing to the eye and to the 
palate. 
The scarcity of the bird, its beauty, and the delicate 
flavor of its flesh, all serve to enhance its value, and 
its mystic life adds a charm to its pursuit which is 
distinct from all others. 
Its home is generally in densely shaded nooks in 
out-of-the-way places where man rarely enters and 
where the soil is soft and moist, for in such places is 
its food obtained. The alder runs and slopes in the 
birches and nooks in the woods where springs or rivu- 
lets or excessive moisture makes the ground soft, are 
its favorite haunts, and sometimes in certain sections 
it finds spots in the cornfields which are desirable feed- 
ing grounds, though haunts and feeding grounds are 
never plentiful. In Mississippi it is occasionally found 
in open sedge fields. Many places which to the eye 
have every appearance of being a suitable home for it, 
still have no birds in them. 
The difficulties of woodcock shooting have been 
greatly exaggerated, particularly as concerns the ex- 
traordinary skill required by the shooter, and the still 
