20 AN EAST COAST NATURALIST 



habit is to come in on bright moonlight nights. 

 Many untoward happenings to the poor immigrant 

 are on record. One alighted on the beach and 

 bunched itself in a sitting attitude under the lee of 

 a boat ; there a coastguardsman espied it, promptly 

 took off his jacket, and flung it over the bird. 

 Another alighted on a rail on the Britannia Pier, 

 and immediately went to sleep. An angler dropped 

 his rod and tried to seize it, but it promptly awoke 

 and slipped through his fingers. Two or three 

 have from time to time dashed against the telegraph 

 wires; in one instance so forcible was the impact 

 that the breastbone was cut in two. A Woodcock 

 entangled itself in some herring lint hanging against 

 a fowl-run, and was taken out a bunch of ruffled and 

 broken feathers. Others have been picked up tired- 

 out in the street, one in a stable, and others in 

 equally unlikely places. The majority of my "first 

 arrivals" are noted between the 10th and 15th of 

 October. 



On 21st November 1900 a Woodcock, captured in 

 a warehouse in the town, came into my possession. 

 It became tame in a day or two, and would take 

 worms out of the hand, pecking at my fingers 

 petulantly if held out without food, and at the same 



