SCOLOPAX RUSTICOLA 5 



been taken up lately by Ogilvie-Grant and in the B.O.C. Bulletin, he 

 thus sums up the result of his observations. "It will thus be seen 

 that . . Gould . . implies that the Woodcocks with tooth-like 

 markings on the outer web of the first long flight-feathers are the 

 young birds of the year. 



" This statement has been generally accepted as correct. 



" The investigations which I have undertaken during the last few 

 years have clearly proved the entire fallacy of this theory." 



He then explains how he shot many breeding birds in the Azores 

 — an unfortunate but necessary proceeding — and also obtained young 

 birds of the year from Messrs. Meade-Waldo and Sir Eichard Graham. 



Ogilvie-Grant then comments on Seebohm's description of the 

 differences between the young and the old bird and says that his 

 investigations have " clearly proved that it is impossible to distinguish 

 between the plumage of the male and female Woodcock, or between 

 old and young birds of the year, when once the latter have fully 

 developed their flight feathers." 



Nestlings. — " Covered with a velvety down of a rufous colour with 

 a broad band of chestnut down the centre of the crown, and another 

 down the centre of the back with three broad transverse bands down 

 the sides of the body ; on each side of the crown and dorsal stripe 

 a broad streak of isabelline ; a black loreal line and a central streak 

 on the forehead also black ; under surface of body pale rufous, 

 inclining to isabelline on the abdomen, and with some chestnut 

 patches on the throat and foreneck." (Sharpe). 



Colours of Soft Parts. — Iris deep brown, almost black. Feet green 

 grey or livid grey, or grey lead colour, claws generally paler and 

 more fleshy. Bill dusky, base brown, paler and tinged with purple 

 at the base of the lower mandible. 



" The legs and feet are pale bluish, brown or drab, or fleshy 

 plumbeous or grey, or livid grey, or bluish fleshy-grey, generally 

 more or less shaded dusky on the boints ; and the claws are fleshy- 

 brown, pale brown, blackish-brown or dusky. 



" The bill is dusky to blackish-brown at tip, the rest pale drab 

 brown, fleshy-brown with a bluish tinge or almost plumbeous ; often 

 nearly white, or fleshy-white at the base of the lower mandible." 

 (Hume) . 



