SCOLOPAX. 349 



Family SCOLOPACID^E. 



Scolopax rusticula, Linn. The Woodcock. 



Scolopax rusticola, Linn., Jerd. . 2nd. ii, p. 670 ; Hume, Cat. no. 

 867. 



My friend, the late Mr. A. Anderson, found the eggs of the 

 Woodcock on the Himalayas. The following is his account : he 

 wrote : 



" On the 30th of June I turned my face towards the snows in 

 another direction, determined to consider my expedition a failure 

 so long as the discovery of the breeding-habits of the "Woodcock 

 still remained a desideratum, which was one of the chief objects of 

 my expedition. After two days' stiff marching I pitched camp at 

 a place called Kenio, at an elevation of some 10,000 feet, over and 

 against jVamick, which is celebrated for its salt-springs. 



" Here my luck culminated ; and I have probably to thank my 

 fellow-traveller, Dr. Triphook (an ardent sportsman, and quite game 

 to fag all day with his rifle or my collecting-gun as the case might 

 require), for not only the most beautiful clutch of Woodcock's eggs 

 I have ever seen, but the first that have as yet been taken in this 

 country. 



" We were following up a huge wounded Presbytis schistaceus (I 

 was anxious to compare it with the Central-Indian form) through 

 a dense undergrowth of Eingalls, when a Woodcock rose close to 

 us, dropping again almost immediately, and disappearing in the 

 cover. A diligent search revealed the long-looked-for prize, four 

 eggs, which were deposited in a slight depression in the damp soil, 

 and embedded amongst a lot of wet leaves, the thin ends pointing 

 inwards and downwards into the ground. 



" The eggs found (I could see they were hard-set), I told Triphook 

 I had no intention of leaving the place without bagging the bird. 

 It was raining heavily and bitterly cold, with the thermometer down 

 to 40 ; but, fortunately for us, before we had had time to make 

 ourselves comfortable under an adjoining tree, the bird flew back 

 in a sort of semicircle, alighted, and ran on to her nest. No sooner 

 down than she was off again, frightened, as I subsequently learnt, 

 at one of our dogs, but which at first thought alarmed me not a 

 little, as I imagined she was removing her eggs. After having 

 satisfied myself that my suspicions were unfounded, it was decided 

 that, as I had done my duty in finding the nest, shooting the bird 

 should devolve on Triphook, and right well he did it, considering 

 all the disadvantages which militate against having a snap shot in 

 dense cover and in a thick mist. I never do anything but miss on 

 such critical occasions ; at any rate I would rather some one else 

 make a mull of it than myself ! 



" The eggs, as before mentioned, are a most beautiful set ; in 



