142 NOVA SCOTIA. 



hen," for the " bogsucker," or for the "whistling red 

 snipe," but let him beware of the word " woodcock," a 

 name applied indifferently to two or three species of wood- 

 pecker, but never to the bird he seeks. 



As soon as the young broods are able to fly the old cock 

 leads them to the alder swamp low-lying land, generally 

 on the banks of brooks or little rivers. The bottoms of 

 these alder covers are composed of a deep black mud, which 

 retains the moisture during the summer droughts. Later 

 on in the season when the autumnal rains make these 

 alder covers too wet, the cocks are generally found in the 

 second growth of young hardwood. These bushes spring 

 up spontaneously in places where the pine forest has 

 been cleared away on the outskirts of the arable land. 

 The first night's frost of sufficient intensity to seal up the 

 swamp is the signal of departure. They fly by night and all 

 at once ; to-day they are in certain covers, to-morrow they 

 are gone. They do not go at once to their winter resorts 

 in the south, but follow, or, perhaps, I should say precede 

 the frost, tarry ing here and there in the more northern States. 

 They leave Nova Scotia generally about the 1st November, 

 and the best shooting is just before their departure. The 

 birds are very fine at this season, the weather is cool and 

 pleasant, the leaves are off the bushes, and the covers, 

 though shot out one day, may hold as many birds on the 

 next, as the cock at this season make short flights prior to 

 their departure. 



A good cock dog in Nova Scotia is a treasure ; money 

 cannot buy one. The shooting season is short, and there 

 is absolutely no game during the greater part of the year 

 to train dogs on. Authorities differ as to the best breed. 



