196 A GAMEKEEPER'S NOTE-BOOK 



flight is like a woodcock's, or because they come 

 at the same time. We would make the strongest 



plea for the preservation of these most useful 

 Woodcock QW j s When an unusual number appeared 



in parts of the South of England, they 

 made themselves very busy among the rats that had 

 taken lodgings in the root-fields. Yet a party of town 

 shooters, out after partridges, gloated more over the 

 bagging of one of these owls than over all the rest of 

 their spoil. The owl was wounded only enough to 

 be caught and his wound had cost the party eleven 

 cartridges. Perhaps if the short-eared owl bred here 

 he might be tempted to prey on young game ; but 

 very few remain to breed in the north, and the young 

 game is grown when the autumn migration begins. 

 Rats and mice with occasional small birds and some 

 beetles form the staple diet. 



The difference in the tastes of dogs is curious, 



and often strongly marked. Two terriers, boon 



companions at home, were taken to the 



Dogs that Hebrides ; in their home haunts they hunted 



Wood- 6 the same ame together rats, rabbits, 

 eoek hares, partridges, and pheasants but in the 

 north the chief sport was among woodcock, 

 though there were thousands of rabbits. Yet neither 

 dog flushed a single woodcock, save by accident, nor 

 would take the slightest interest in any but rabbit 

 sport. They showed that marked aversion to 



