340 Mr. W. Thompson on the Breeding of 



the month of June or July 1836, a woodcock was shot, and 

 another seen about the same time at Springvale, county of 

 Down, the residence of Major Matthews. On the 4th of June 

 1837? an old female bird was killed at the vale of Ovoca, county 

 Wicklow. In May 1838, a woodcock was captured at Stor- 

 mont near Belfast. 



At TuUamore Park in the county of Down (the seat of 

 Lord Roden), beautifully situated at the base of the mountains 

 of Mourne, and possessing considerable variety of surface, 

 abundance of wood of various size, and occasional moist and 

 open glades, which even in the driest summer would afford 

 food to the woodcock, this bird has bred of late years. From 

 the intelhgent gamekeeper I have learnt the following inter- 

 esting particulars. In 1835 he first (though living here since 

 1828) became acquainted with their continuing throughout 

 the summer in th« park. The first nest he saw, which had 

 just the appearance of a partridge's or pheasant's, was situated 

 on damp groimd in a young plantation, and at the root of a 

 young larch fir. It contained four eggs, on which the old bird 

 sat so close as to allow him and other persons to approach 

 within a foot, but when they came near she was always ob- 

 • served to hide her bill to its base in the grass or withered 

 ferns about the nest ; the eggs were all productive, and were 

 he thinks incubated for three weeks. The young left the nest 

 just after birth, and were not again seen until able to use their 

 wings, when they frequently appeared about the place : the 

 male bird remained about a dozen paces from the nest during 

 the incubation of his partner. From having seen other wood- 

 cocks in the park this summer, it was believed that they must 

 also have nests, but this one only was discovered ; eventually 

 however, a second pair of woodcocks was sprung along with , 

 five young ones, the old birds taking first to fhght : the young 

 — completely feathered except on the head and neck, where 

 down was still displayed — were now able to fly over the trees, 

 whilst those produced in the nest first mentioned, were but 

 three days " out." 



In the summer of 1836, my informant saw in one day five 

 old woodcocks in the park; and though he had not any of their 

 nests this year, he on one occasion saw three young birds. 



