228 THE FOWLER IN IRELAND. 



knowledge, killed sixty in a day. I watched this 

 man start and return, I heard him fire nearly two 

 hundred shots, and saw his bag of fresh killed birds, 

 as I met him on his way home at the day's end, 

 when he counted them out before me. I was fowl- 

 ing along shore at the time, and the shooter was in 

 my view most of the day. But though Woodcocks 

 were then swarming along the coast, there were 

 very few indeed to be found inland ; for, as I have 

 before observed, when Woodcock appear on the 

 coast during a hard frost, they are not strangers, 

 but merely visitants from the inland districts. 

 How in early winter they are found in flights 

 near the shore, I have elsewhere attempted to ex- 

 plain. Cock appear so suddenly, and in such abun- 

 dance at times in autumn, and become so scarce as 

 it were in a day, that although their movements are 

 apparent, the cause seems inexplicable. The year 

 Lord Elcho resided at Muckross, Killarney,the party, 

 averaging five guns, shot in ten days four hundred 

 and twenty couple of Woodcock (840 birds). In that 

 winter (1863-64) there were killed twelve hundred 

 and fifty Woodcock ; and Lord Elcho shot to his 

 own gun in one day twenty-five couple. Since then 

 Mr. C. Balfour and Mr. A. Herbert shot in one day 

 thirty-seven and a half couple at the same place. In 

 these covers another year thirty-eight couple were 

 killed by the Duke of Roxburgh in a day. There 

 were shot on two consecutive days, a few years ago, 

 in Tomies and Glenflesk woods, Muckross, one 

 hundred and sixteen couple (232 birds). I learn 

 from Mr. H. Herbert of Cahirnane that Woodcock 

 now breed in considerable numbers round Killarney. 

 In co. Cork five hundred Woodcock have been 



