280 . THE NESTS AND EGGS OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Family CHARADRIID^. Genus SCOLOPAX. 



Sub-family SCOL OP A CIN^. 



WOODCOCK. 



SCOLOPAX RUSTTCOLA, Linnaus. 



Probably Single Brooded. Laying season, March and 

 especially April ; May. 



BRITISH BREEDING AREA : The Woodcock breeds 

 sparingly throughout the British Islands, wherever suit- 

 able cover is to be found. It probably nests much more 

 abundantly than is generally supposed, owing to its 

 retiring habits and the nearly entire absence of observa- 

 tion during its breeding season. 



BREEDING HABITS: The Woodcocks that breed in 

 our islands are undoubtedly resident therein, but num- 

 bers of birds visit our shores in autumn from other 

 lands, and numbers pass over them during the two 

 seasons of passage. The breeding-haunts of this species 

 are plantations of young trees, spinneys, and woods in 

 which plenty of bottom growth and long rank vegetation 

 clothes the ground. The Woodcock pairs annually, 

 and during the period of its "roding" or mating flights 

 in spring, is to a certain extent social ; otherwise this 

 species is solitary, each pair for the rest of the nesting 

 time keeping to themselves, although several nests may 

 be found at no great distance apart. The nest is always 

 made on the ground, in a dry secluded corner of the 

 wood or plantation, where plenty of cover may be found 

 in thickets of bracken, fern, brambles, dry grass, and 

 drifts of autumn leaves. Sometimes a bare situation at 

 the foot of a tree is selected. The nest is a mere hollow, 

 lined with dry grass and dead leaves, and is usually well 

 concealed by surrounding vegetation. The lining is 



