UPLAND SHOOTING. 195 



lands of the Hudson, with the intent of showing the fine view 

 thence to a city friend, he found the l)rushwood on the barren 

 and rocky ledges, and even on the crown of the hill, literally 

 alive with Woodcock. This occurred, according to his state- 

 ment, in the beginning of September, when no birds were to 

 be found in the level and wet woods below. He farther stated, 

 that he at first intended to revisi' the hill the n(!xt day, with dog 

 and gun, in order to profit by his discovery, but was prevented 

 doing so by casual circumstances, until the frost had set in 

 keenly in the woods. He then climbed the hill, and beat it 

 carefully with dogs, without obtaining one point to I'eward his 

 labor ; and on the next day found the swamps below full of 

 birds. 



Not vouching for the truth of this tale, I tell it as 'twas told 

 to me ; the teller was a sportsman, and a man of average vera- 

 city — that is to say, I should have been inclined to believe any 

 fact he stated, where I could see no interest, on his part, which 

 should lead him to attempt deception. In this case there was 

 no such reason ; not even the desire of prevailing in argument, 

 for we were not arguing. I cannot, therefore, well doubt the 

 correctness of his information. 



If truly stated, as I believe it to have been, this fact makes 

 somewhat for my former opinion. I have, also, myself, fre- 

 quently found scattered birds on such hill-tops, and in such 

 mountain-swales, while deer-stalking, in August and September, 

 though not in numbers which would justify the belief in a 

 general migration en masse to such localities. 



If, however, my half-formed opinion — for it is no more — be 

 con-ect, the birds are dispersed at this peiiod of the year, and 

 arc only to be found, casually, in knots of three or four, and 

 never in greater numbers. 



The other, and, on the whole, perhaps more probable sug- 

 gestion is this : that, after rearing their young, driven by the 

 beat of the weather — or, it may be, by the temporary exhaustion 

 of food on their favorite grounds, they move farther northward 

 as does the English Snipe, yet earher in the season, not to 



