WOODCOCK 271 



It is a well-established fact that the female often bears 

 away her chicks, one by one (held between her legs as she 

 flies), from the locality in which they were hatched. I 

 believe the young are thus conveyed to damper situations to 

 enable them to learn to feed for themselves. In other 

 words, the Woodcock transports its offspring to the haunts 

 which it is wont to visit nightly in search of food. For 

 it should be borne in mind that this is primarily a wading 

 and marsh-frequenting species, which resorts to the drier 

 cover of wooded districts simply to sleep and rest. The 

 young are also carried off by the parent on the approach of 

 danger, even when they are considerably grown. Incuba- 

 tion begins in April, less often in the latter end of March ; 

 two broods are usually produced in the season. 



Geographical distribution. Beyond our Isles the Wood- 

 cock nests over the greater part of the European Continent, 

 as far north as Scandinavia, though it is not found in Ice- 

 land. Eastward, this species breeds in Temperate and 

 Northern Asia, also in parts of North Africa and the 

 adjoining Islands. Numbers reach India in the winter. 

 Stragglers have been recorded from North America. 



DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 



PLUMAGE. Adult male nuptial. The general coloration 

 of the plumage may be described as a handsome variegated 

 pattern of rich chestnut-grey, and blackish markings. On 

 the top of the head and on the hind-neck the black takes 

 the form of broad bands, separated by narrow light grey 

 stripes ; tail-feathers, chiefly black, notched on the outer 

 webs with rufous, banded on their upper surface with dull 

 silver-grey, and on the under surface with white ; primaries, 

 barred on their outer webs with chestnut and black ; there 

 is a considerable amount of chestnut and black about the 

 middle of the back and on the scapulars ; cheeks and throat, 

 whitish-grey, a dark curved line stretches from the eye to 

 the gape of the beak ; front of neck, breast, abdomen, and 

 flanks, barred alternately with light and dark markings ; 

 under tail-coverts, chiefly warm buff, with dark bro'wn 

 ' arrow-headed ' centres. 



Adult female nuptial. Similar to the male plumage. 



Adult winter, male and female. Similar to the nuptial 

 plumage. 



