208 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



men, and with some chestnut patches on the throat and fore- 

 neck. 



Characters. The differences between old and young Wood- 

 cocks have been well demonstrated by Mr. W. R. Olgivie-Grant 

 in a paper in the "Zoologist" for 1890. The best test, in my 

 opinion, is the uniform whitish outer web of the first primary in 

 the old birds, this being clearly notched all along the outer web 

 in young individuals. These notches gradually disappear and 

 become obsolete ; the buff sub-terminal line which separates the 

 black of the tail from the ashy tip is also a sign of immaturity, 

 but as this is retained by many adult birds for some time, it is 

 not so worthy a character. 



Range in Great Britain. Except in some of the most barren 

 portions of our islands, the Wood-cock breeds in the wooded 

 districts, and has considerably increased in numbers as a nesting 

 bird with us of late years, principally owing to the increase of 

 plantations. In Ireland, it is said by Mr. Ussher, to be found 

 breeding in every county. A great migration takes place in 

 spring and autumn, the birds passing over the whole of our 

 islands, even such places as the Orkneys and Shetland Isles, 

 where, however, they do not breed. By the time that the 

 spring migration has set in, many of our resident Wood-cocks 

 have already begun to nest. 



Range outside the British Islands. The Wood-cock is generally 

 distributed over Europe, but does not ascend very far north. 

 In Eastern Russia and Siberia its range does not extend farther 

 than 60 N. lat; in Western Russia to 65 N. lat., and in 

 Scandinavia up to the Arctic Circle. It is found nesting also 

 in Eastern Siberia and the mountains of Japan, as well as in 

 the Himalayas at 10,000 feet; also in the Caucasus and the 

 mountains of Southern Europe. In winter it visits the countries 

 of the Mediterranean, India, Burma, and China, but it breeds, 

 to the south, in the Azores, Canary Islands, and Madeira. It 

 has been once found in the Faeroes, but has not been recorded 

 from Iceland or Southern Greenland, though individuals have 

 occasionally straggled to the coasts of North America. 



Habits. The Wood-cock is a very shy and retiring bird, 

 and is but seldom seen in the open, except during the season 



