150 THE- SHOOTER'S GUIDE. 



birds have been known to turn white ; and 1 have 

 myself seen a lark, which, by being kept on a parti- 

 cular food, became white. In fact, it would seem as 

 if, when birds assume a different colour, they gene- 

 rally turn white. 



A Mr. Dixon, of Liverpool, shot a brace of wood- 

 cocks, a few years since, in the month of June, some- 

 where in the neighbourhood of Liverpool; but they 

 were much lighter than these birds are generally 

 found to be in the winter season, which arose, no 

 doubt, from the scarcity of their provision. 



Woodcocks are generally supposed to be more 

 plentiful in Ireland, than either England, Wales, or 

 Scotland. But I believe they were never known so 

 scarce as in the winter of 1808 and 1809, which per- 

 haps might arise in some measure from the reason 

 already assigned in the former part of this article ; 

 and numbers might also have been lost in the stormy 

 weather which prevailed about the time of their emi- 

 gration from the north. 



The Snipe. 



After having given a particular description of the 

 woodcock, it will only be necessary to observe, that 

 the plumage and shape of the snipe is much the 

 same; and indeed its habits and manners bear a great 

 analogy. But there are three different sizes of snipes, 

 the largest of which, however, is much smaller than 

 the woodcock. The common snipe weighs about 



