560 MODERN FARRIER. 



their arrival depends much upon the prevailing 

 w^inds ; thej^ are unable to struggle with the bois- 

 terous gales of the northern ocean, and therefore 

 wait for a favourable wind. When they have en- 

 countered bad weather on their passage, they are 

 sometimes so exhausted on their "arrival as to suffer 

 themselves to be seized by the hand. They occa- 

 sionally take refuge, during very stormy weather, in 

 the rigging of vessels at sea, and numbers are fre- 

 quently lost in their passage. The greater part of 

 them leave this country about the latter end of Fe- 

 bruary or the beginning of March, always pairing 

 before they set out, and at this time they utter a 

 little piping noise ; they retire to the coast, and, if 

 the wind be favourable, set out immediately ; but 

 if contrary, they remain for some time, and thus 

 afford good diversion to those sportsmen who reside 

 near the sea. The instant, hovv-ever, a fair wind 

 springs up, they embrace the opportunity, and 

 where hundreds have appeared on one day, not a 

 single woodcock may be seen on the next. 



This bird has a long, slender, straight bill, with 

 w^hich he searches for his food, worms and insects, 

 in^ moist ground. The nostrils are linear, and 

 lodged in a furrow ; the head entirely covered with 

 feathers : and the feet with four toes, the hind one 

 very short, and consisting of several points. The 

 hen may be distinguished from the male by a nar- 

 row stripe of white along the lower part of the ex- 

 terior veil of the outermost feather of the wing. 

 The same part in the outermost feather of tlie cock 

 is elegantly and regularly spotted w^ith black and 

 reddish white. In the bastard wing of both is a 

 small, pointed, narrow feather, A^ery elastic, and 

 much sought after by painters, as it makes a good 

 pencil. These birds generally weigh from twelve to 

 fourteen ounces. 



Woodcocks build their nests on the ground, ge- 

 nerally at the root of some tree, and lay four or five 



