200 



Order XIII 



bird, for in both cases the male incubates and the 

 female courts him ; the nest, however, is of necessity 

 on barer peaty or mossy ground; the eggs, which are 

 often less pointed, and more olive, are hardly dis- 

 tinguishable. 



Everyone knows the Woodcock (Scolopax rusticula) 

 by name or picture, and few have not heard of the 



Woodcock 



regular " flights " that visit us from the north in the 

 middle of autumn. The flocks take their departure 

 in March, until which time the members separate and 

 search for suitable feeding ground. Boggy moors and 

 damp woods containing springs are their favourite 

 resorts, the north and west of Ireland being the most 

 notable winter- quarters, though the west of Scotland, 



