WOODCOCK SHOOTING. 93 



fed equally well, when sharp set, at any period 

 of the twenty-four hours. 



Often when' engaged in reading or writing at 

 night, in our little apartment, we have paused to 

 listen as we heard him moving about in his still, 

 prying way, turning over the dead leaves and 

 probing the crannies of the box in pursuit of his 

 prey. When the bars were removed, he some- 

 times flew out, and after making a survey of the 

 room to ascertain, as we supposed, if a pet 

 spaniel was present invariably took a position 

 close to our feet, which he was fond of playfully 

 striking at with his long bill. This was slightly 

 bent and protuberant at the middle of the upper 

 mandible, giving him a strange and somewhat 

 grotesque appearance. 



We have often watched this bird attentively, 

 when he was engaged in feeding from surfaces 

 of different depths and consistency, which had 

 been purposely presented to him, after he was 

 full grown. When his food was merely thrown 

 out of a cup in the usual way, if not very hun- 

 gry, he would stand steadfastly eyeing the coil- 

 ing, twisting mass, waiting patiently until some 

 of its component parts had disengaged them- 

 selves, and crawled under the dead leaves or into 

 the angles or edges of the box ; then slowly in- 



