133 



July 24-, 1832. 

 William Cliff, Esq., in the Chair. 



A Letter was read, addressed by Sir F. Mackenzie to the Secre- 

 tary of the Society, and dated July 16: it related to the breeding 

 of some IVoodcocks , Scolopax rusticola, Linn., at Conan on the 

 eastern coast of Ross-shire, the estate of that gentleman. 



For several years past, two or three of these birds have occasion- 

 ally been seen in the woods, and about five years since a couple 

 were shot just before St. Swithin's-day : these were, however, old 

 birds, and from their being covered with fat, it was evident that they 

 had not nestled. The keeper, in fact, had never been able to find 

 one of their nests or to see a young bird, until the present season. 

 In two small woods near his house he this year discovered four 

 Woodcocks nests, one having four, and the others three eggs each, 

 all of which were hatched and ran. The young birds he repeatedly 

 saw before they took wing ; and now five or six couple may every 

 evening, towards dusk, be observed flying about the lodge as they 

 pass to their feeding grounds. The old birds give notice of their 

 approach by a sharp cry of hvit-truiihvit, repeated as rapidly as pos- 

 sible, and heard at three or four hundred yai'ds distance ; while 

 the young ones are less noisy and more flagging in the motion of 

 their wings. Than the flight of the Woodcock before and after in- 

 cubation, Sir F. Mackenzie states that he knows nothing more rapid, 

 as for an hour or two about dusk he (probably the male, though 

 two have been seen together pursuing each other) fhes in large 

 circles over the tops of the trees, uttering his sharp and piercing 

 cry, a whistle which sportsmen may have occasionally heard weakly 

 when cocks are first flu.shed in the back flight in March. Some- 

 times his sudden flight will be arrested and changed into a sailing 

 slowly, like a pouter Pigeon, his cry being at the same time varied 

 to a purr or bleat resembling that of the Ptarmigan : then he will 

 dart away with greater rapidity than a Pigeon in full flight, moving 

 his wings, however, with a different action from that of the Pigeon, 

 and with inconceivable rapidity. 



The soil where the nests were found is gravelly and rather dry ; 

 the grass tolerably long, without underwood ; and the trees, oak, 

 birch, and larch not exceeding thirty j'ears' growth. The situation 

 is warm, and not 150 feet above the level of the sea; it is not far 

 distant from the river. The woods are kept quiet, and several phea- 

 sants' nests were hatched in their close vicinity. 



It is probable that the parent birds sought this spot for the pur- 

 pose of breeding, as they must have arrived in the spring from 

 other localities : for those who shot in the covers till February de- 

 clare that they did not know of a single Woodcock being then left 



[No. XXL] ZooL. Soc, Proceedings of the Comm. of Science. 



