Food. 
112 GRALLATORES. SCOLOPAX. Woodcock. 
its attention, closing its wings, and dropping suddenly down, 
and in such cases it is not unusual for it to run a little way 
before it squats. Just before rising, upon being disturbed, 
or when running, it jerks its tail upwards, partly expanding 
it, and fully shewing the white that distinguishes the under 
surface of the tips of the tail feathers.—In feeding, the Wood- 
cock inserts its bill deep into the earth in search of worms, 
which are its favourite and principal food. ‘This instrument 
is most admirably calculated for the offices it has to perform 
when thus immersed in the soil; for, in addition to its great 
length, it possesses a nervous apparatus distributed over a 
great portion of its surface, and especially on such parts as 
are likely to come first into contact with its prey, giving it 
the sense of touch in the highest perfection ; and to enable 
it to secure the object thus detected by the discriminating 
sensibility of the bill, it is further provided with peculiar 
muscles (common, I believe, to all the members of the genus), 
which, by compression of the upper or basal part of the bill, 
are brought into action, so as to expand the tips of both 
mandibles sufficiently wide, to lay hold of and draw forth 
the hidden treasure. The digestion of this bird is rapid, 
and the quantity of worms it can devour in the course of a 
night is astomishing. I have known one, that consumed at a 
meal (that is, within the night), more large earth-worms than 
half filled a garden-pot of considerable size. It may, how- 
ever, by management, be brought to eat other food ; as Mon- 
TAGU mentions one that was induced to feed on bread and 
milk, by worms cleanly washed being put into a mess of that 
kind ; and, by this practice being persisted in, the bird soon 
acquired a relish for this new sort of aliment, and, with the 
addition of a few worms, throve well upon it. The flesh of 
the Woodcock, when in condition, is highly and deservedly 
esteemed, being juicy meat, and of delicate flavour ; indeed 
so excellent has it been considered by the epicure, that no 
portion was suffered to be lost, and we therefore always see 
it customarily dressed with the entrails undrawn, and serving 
