312 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 



known of it, it is not strange that the little accurate 

 knowledge is obscured by the air of much mystery, 

 and that those who seek the bird find a fascination in 

 it greater than that of any other form of game bird 

 shooting. The bird itself is of peculiar form and of 

 rare richness in its colorings, and its flesh is esteemed 

 a morsel of choice excellence fit for the palate of the 

 most fastidious epicure. Thus it affords great sport 

 in its capture and is pleasing to the eye and to the 

 palate. 



The scarcity of the bird, its beauty, and the delicate 

 flavor of its flesh, all serve to enhance its value, and 

 its mystic life adds a charm to its pursuit which is 

 distinct from all others. 



Its home is generally in densely shaded nooks in 

 out-of-the-way places where man rarely enters and 

 where the soil is soft and moist, for in such places is 

 its food obtained. The alder runs and slopes in the 

 birches and nooks in the woods where springs or rivu- 

 lets or excessive moisture makes the ground soft, are 

 its favorite haunts, and sometimes in certain sections 

 it finds spots in the cornfields which are desirable feed- 

 ing grounds, though haunts and feeding grounds are 

 never plentiful. In Mississippi it is occasionally found 

 in open sedge fields. Many places which to the eye 

 have every appearance of being a suitable home for it, 

 still have no birds in them. 



The difficulties of woodcock shooting have been 

 greatly exaggerated, particularly as concerns the ex- 

 traordinary skill required by the shooter, and the still 



