WOODCOCK AND YOUNG. 225 



I have twice seen a Woodcock carrying- a young 

 bird, huddled up under the neck, and frequently 

 remarked them at the hours of flight teaching their 

 broods to wheel and sport in the air a very pretty 

 sight. 



I have observed that Woodcock have a curious 

 habit of placing near the edge of the nest a little 

 bank of moss, on which they will at times deposit 

 worms as they bring them, that the young birds 

 may learn to pick them out as they quickly glide 

 from their view. 



The plumage of a Woodcock beautifully blends 

 with the colour shown by the decaying foliage of 

 the woods, not only in the darker shades but in the 

 lighter as well ; the light streaks on the back of 

 both Snipe and Cock assimilating with the yellow 

 fallen leaves and reeds of early winter. 



The wet glistening eye of the bird has several 

 times attracted my attention to a wounded Cock 

 when I could not distinguish the crouching form. 



Captain Dugmore says Woodcock nest in his 

 coverts (King's County) yearly. Mr. R. Tuke, of 

 Avoca, having caught a Woodcock in the summer 

 of 1880 in a wood, brought it home in his pocket. 

 On taking the bird out to show as a prize, he found 

 an egg as well that it had laid on the journey. 



In co. Kildare, Woodcock breed very freely in 

 protected demesnes. Mr. More O'Farrell, of 

 Balyna, says that in the summer of 1881 his keeper 



pressed between the thighs of the parent bird, or supported partly by 

 the feet and partly by the bill. In the " Zoologist" for November, 1879, 

 will be found a very full and interesting account by Mr. Harting of 

 the various modes of transport which have been observed, illustrated 

 with a charming sketch by Wolf of a Woodcock in flight with a young 

 one in her feet. Q 



