THE WOODCOCK. 209 



ing of it affords. It must be considered chiefly, though not 

 wholly, as a winter visitor, coming to Britain when it is 

 frozen out in the countries that lie farther to the north, and 

 have their winter less open. There are, however, some well- 

 authenticated instances of its breeding in the country. These 

 are not numerous, it is true, but they are at least as much 

 so as the visits of some of the straggling birds that have 

 of late years been added to the British Fauna ; and if two 

 or three random visits constitute a British bird, two or 

 three breedings naturally taking place in the country, should, 

 by parity of reasoning, elevate the bird to the condition of a 

 native. 



There is no question that one species of improvement, and 

 that not an unimportant one, has a tendency to encourage 

 the breeding of the woodcock. The chief difference in habit 

 between the woodcock and the common snipe, is in the cover 

 in which they conceal themselves during the day at all times, 

 and conceal their nests in the breeding season. The snipe 

 prefers a cover of tufted herbage, or hassocks of heath and 

 grass, alternating with sludgy pools : the woodcock seeks the 

 cover of trees, and nestles among the tufts at their roots, 

 but always on or near a soil very similar to that which 

 the snipes prefer. All that has to be done, therefore, is 

 to plant the nesting-place of the snipe, in whole or in 

 part, and it becomes an adequate nesting-place for the 

 woodcock. 



It is sometimes said, that one of the causes of the north- 

 ward or polar migrations of birds in the spring, is the 

 lengthening of the days, which affords them longer time 

 for their daily labours ; and in the case of those birds that 

 feed during the day, that may be true, but it cannot apply 

 to the woodcock, which reposes during the day, and feeds 

 at night, or in the twilight. No doubt the twilight is 

 longer as the latitude increases ; but in the north of Scot- 



VOL. II. P 



