Mr. W. Thompson on the Breeding of the Woodcock. 337 



Lacerta bipes, Gmelin. Seps lineata, Harlan, Journal Acad. Philad. 

 iv. t. IS. f. 2. 



Cape of Good Hope. Brit. Mus. 



Bipes Gronovii. Pygodactylus Gronovii. Mus. Leyden. 



AcoNTiAS. Body cylindrical, apodal ; eyes distinct, oblong, large, 

 surrounded with a series of scales ; scales with parallel white longi- 

 tudinal internal lines, which are divided into two series by a central 

 cross line (best seen in the white scales). 



Acontias meleagris. White with the hinder edges of the upper 

 scales dark brown. 



Cape of Good Hope. Mus. Chatham. 



Var. Above brown, beneath white. 



Cape of Good Hope. Mus. Chatham. 



XXXIX. — On the Breeding of the Woodcock (Scolopax rus- 

 ticola, Linn.), in Ireland. By Wm. Thompson, Esq., Vice- 

 President of the Natural History Society of Belfast. 



In the 1st volume of the ^Annals of Natural History,^ (p. 158.) 

 I alluded to the circumstance of woodcocks having bred within 

 the last few years in some of the northern, central, and south- 

 ern counties ; at the same time stating it to be my intention 

 to reserve a detailed notice of the fact, until the species should 

 in due order come to be treated of in my intended series of 

 papers on the birds of Ireland. The subject being however 

 interesting in more than a mere ornithological point of view, 

 it is considered better now to pubUsh my notes upon it, 

 leaving the general history of the bird, independently of this 

 part of its oeconomy, for the place just mentioned. 



Of the occasional breeding of the woodcock in England, in- 

 stances have been recorded in the chief works on ornithology 

 published in that country within the last seventy years. Thus 

 Pennant informs us, that " in Case-wood, near Tunbridge, a 

 few breed almost annually ; the young having been shot there 

 in the beginning of August*." He adds, " I do not recollect 

 that any have been discovered to have bred in North Britain,^^ 

 p. 367. Latham states that " a brace of them were shot in 

 CheUenden Wood by the gamekeeper to Horace Mann, Esq., 



• Brit. Zool. vol, ii. p. 366. ed. 1776. 



