18G THE WOODCOCK. 



which name bears a close affinity to the German Wultl- 

 Schttepfe, as the Woodcock is called in Germany. 



The Woodcock has a wide geographical range. Besides 

 Scandinavia, this'bird passes the summer months in Fin- 

 land, Russia, and Siberia, as also in northern and north- 

 eastern Asia ; and winters in Asia Minor, the northern 

 parts of Africa, as also in the more western and southern 

 of Europe, especially in countries bordering on the 

 Mediterranean. 



Excepting during spring and fall, when Woodcocks are 

 occasionally met with in considerable numbers near 1 1n- 

 southern and western coasts of Sweden and Norway, they 

 may truly be said to be searcc in Scandinavia; for duriui: 

 the summer months a man may wander in the interior at 

 any rate for days together in the forest without seeing 

 more than a stray bird. Such at least has often happened 

 to myself. 



That Woodcocks should be thus scarce in the irreat 

 Scandinavian forests, from whence, as it is believed, we in 

 England are chiefly supplied, and so plentiful with us in 

 Ireland rather in the winter time, is perhaps easy of 

 explanation ; for in their breeding-grounds, extending, as 

 shown, over the greater part of Northern Europe, there U 

 probably a thousand times more wood than in the whole 

 of the United Kingdom together; and when, therefore, 

 the birds, or a large portion of them, come to ^concentrated^ 

 so to say, in our small covers, they consequently make a 

 \ n-y great show. 



The idea used to be entertained in England, and may 

 be so at this time for all 1 know to the contrary, that the 

 present M-areity of Woodcocks with us, as compared with 

 former times, is attributable to the Scandinavians sub- 

 sisting largely on their egg*. Now, to say nothing of these 

 beini; unknoun as an edible in the IVninsula and \\here. 

 indeed, even naturalist > have dillicnlty enough in procuring 



