WOODCOCKS 339 



carry two young birds together, one by each of the methods 

 described. 



Probably no bird gives a more easy shot than a woodcock, 

 and at the same time none is so often missed. The reason may 

 be that shooters are inclined to shoot at twice the distance (at 

 what they consider the " come-by-chance ") that they fire at the 

 game bred on and by the estate. They are also frequently a 

 little excited by the cry of 'cock, and besides this, the birds have 

 a queer habit of twisting round any tree trunk or bush that 

 happens to be near. These side darts are made with a good 

 deal of pace, even by birds that have been flying like owls. 

 They seem to be the outcome of sudden impulse ; it would not 

 be correct to call them sudden resolutions, because whatever 

 they are due to they are liable to constant change. These 

 twists are often at right angles to the previous flight. The 

 birds seldom go far in one direction, but have often been 

 known to take a flight of Lalf a mile, with several of these right- 

 angle turns in it, and to settle after all within a few yards of the 

 place whence they were flushed. 



The shooting of the woodcocks over setters or spaniels in 

 the heather is extremely pretty work, but only a dog experienced 

 on this kind of game is of much use. In covert the woodcock is 

 rarely shot to spaniels, except in South Wales. The usual plan 

 is a party of guns and beaters, and Lord Ardilaun hardly ever 

 uses canine retrievers. The rocks make marking essential, and 

 it is found that good markers are preferable to good dogs in 

 ground so rough as to be difficult for the latter. 



Bags of woodcock at Lord Ardilaun's place have very 

 frequently been misstated. Possibly the most " authoritative " 

 mistake is in The Snipe and Woodcock, by Mr. L. H. de Visme 

 Shaw, who says that in one day 508 'cock were obtained at 

 Ashford. That is not so. Lord Ardilaun very kindly informed 

 the author that 205 'cock was his best, but he explained that he 

 was away from his game book at the time he wrote, and it is 

 very likely, therefore, that Mr. R. J. Ussher is right in giving 

 209 'cock as the record for one day there. The 205 'cock were 

 killed in January 1895, and at that time there were 508 'cock 



