WOODCOCK. 5 



home twenty, nay, thirty couple. I have known a party 

 fire a number of shots that would appear incredible ; and I 

 have more than once expended my last charge of powder, 

 and left, for want of ammunition, one or two copses un- 

 tried/'' It is recorded in Daniel's Rural Sports, that Mr. 

 Yea of Swansea, killed one hundred couple of Woodcocks 

 in the season of 1796. Gilbert White of Selborne, says, in 

 his Journal, " a gentleman writes word from St. Mary's, 

 Scilly, that in the night between the 10th and llth of Oc- 

 tober, the wind being west, there fell such a flight of 

 Woodcocks within the walls of the garrison, that he him- 

 self shot, and conveyed home, twenty-six couple, besides 

 three couple which he wounded, but did not give himself 

 the trouble to retrieve. On the following day, the 12th, 

 the wind continuing west, he found but few. This person 

 further observes, that easterly and northerly winds only 

 have usually been remarked as propitious in bringing 

 Woodcocks to the Scilly Islands. So that he is totally at 

 a loss to account for this western flight, unless they came 

 from Ireland. As they took their departure in the night 

 between the llth and 12th, the wind still continuing west, 

 he supposes they were gone to make a visit to the counties 

 of Cornwall and Devonshire. From circumstances in the 

 letter, it appears that the ground within the lines of the 

 garrison abounds with furze. Some Woodcocks settled in 

 the street of St. Mary's, and ran into the houses and out- 

 houses." A Woodcock when flushed on the coast has 

 been known to settle on the sea, and when again disturbed, 

 rose without difficulty and flew away. Three or four in- 

 stances are recorded of Woodcocks alighting on the deck 

 of ships in the English Channel, and that they go much 

 farther south on their migration over the European Con- 

 tinent to the east of us, will be proved by the quantities 



