HAUNTS AND HABITS OP THE WOODCOCK. 69 



some minutes, and then depart to their several feeding-places 

 on the hills and downs; and towards the morning's dawn, 

 upon their return, they will again circle around in company 

 at the head or entrance of the goil or valley ere they retire 

 to their separate quarters in the woods. This they will do 

 night after night during the continuance of the moon, if not 

 disturbed in their passage by being tired at a too common 

 practice, I am sorry to say, on moonlight evenings in this 

 neighbourhood. But the gun is not the only engine of de- 

 struction awaiting the poor cocks on their moonlight pere- 

 grinations. 



" It used to be the constant practice on all the hill downs 

 in these parts to place cut underwood or furze, about a foot 

 in height, to a very great extent along the ground, in the 

 shape of the letter V, at the apex of which an opening 

 would be left where a hair-noose or springle would be set, 

 which seldom failed to yield the pot-hunter a nightly supply, 

 as the cock would run along the side of the brushwood feed- 

 ing, not taking the trouble to top over it, until he was led 

 into the snare; but this plan is now, owing to the scarcity 

 of cocks when compared with former years, very seldom 

 practised. 



" But to return to my point. On regaining the woods, 

 after his moonlight wanderings, the woodcock drops like a 

 stone into his bush, and immediately goes to sleep, con- 

 tinuing immovable, unless disturbed, until about three 

 o'clock in the afternoon, when he begins to move a little 

 round his cubiculum. On these days, after moonlight 

 nights, woodcocks are very difficult to find in covert that 

 is, they lie very close, frequently allowing man and dog to 

 pass within a very few feet of them without moving; and 

 now it is when a first-rate cocker is invaluable, and mani- 

 fests his superiority in winding the sleeping cock on coming 

 within a gun-shot of him, when perhaps ten other cockers, 

 first-rate dogs for finding the cock by the scent which his 

 running and feeding leaves behind him, will pass by within 

 a few feet without noticing the bird in the slightest degree. 



" On dark nights the woodcock never leaves the covert, 

 nor does he feed at all during the night, but sleeps through- 

 out the silent hours ; but on the first dawn of day he begins 



