WOODCOCK SHOOTING. 91 



Iii the summer of 1844, while visiting the 

 breeding grounds, in company with a young 

 friend, he unfortunately shot a hen-bird, while 

 engaged in performing those little interesting 

 manoeuvres by which she hoped to decoy our 

 steps from the vicinity of her unfledged young. 

 The brood, consisting of four half-grown birds, 

 were preserved and carried to the farm-house, 

 where two of them were accidentally killed the 

 same night, A box was procured, the bottom 

 strewn with soft earth and dead leaves, strips 

 nailed across to prevent the birds from escaping, 

 and the next morning they were placed in their 

 new abode. Being very wild and their bills 

 tender, great care was required in feeding them, 

 and it was necessary to cover the slats to prevent 

 them from injuring themselves by fluttering up 

 against the top of the box. The mode of forcing 

 them to feed which we at first adopted, was to 

 take them out of the box, open the bill and place 

 the worm athwart, when, after a few ineffectual 

 attempts, the birds took them down. 



This plan succeeded well for a few days, when, 

 to our suprise and gratification, one bird readily 

 took his food from our fingers, and soon became 

 so tame as to require no further handling. The 

 other fellow continued as wild as before, and after 



