28 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NA TUBAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XX. 



lady and dropped on the ground close to the nest and after scuffling 

 about a bit she grasped one of the young ones on either side and 

 picked it up. As she rose I could see that her extended legs held 

 the young one low down on either side, but she at once drew up her 

 legs close to her body and then appeared to be holding it between her 

 breast and thighs, this of course owing to the contracted position of 

 her legs. Once started she flew quite easily to some distance, but 

 seemed to find it rather difficult to get a comfortable hold of the 

 young ones at first. She removed all four a distance of nearly 50 

 yards within about a quarter of an hour." 



It is not definitely known whether both parents share in the 

 labour of removal, but it is probable that such is the case. Indeed, 

 from Davidson's note given above, it would appear rather as if whilst 

 he was following one of the parent birds, the other had carried off" 

 the remaining youngster. 



It is possible that the removals are not always due to the birds 

 being disturbed, and it may be that they are undertaken also for the 

 purpose of getting to fresh feeding grounds. On several occasions 

 young Woodcocks known to be in one place have been found 

 removed to some distance, although, as far as was known, no disturb- 

 ing element had approached the original nest site. 



The Woodcock breeds very freely throughout the Himalayas at 

 10,000 feet upwards and probably also very much lower down. 

 Whether its breeding range extends to the East as far as the more 

 lofty ranges of the Naga Hills and Manipur is very doubtful, and 

 there is nothing to show that- it breeds in any of the Burmese Hill 

 Ranges. 



Although so many Oologists have taken its eggs in this country, . 

 there is curiously little on record about its nidifications therein. 

 Hume when he wrote the " Game Birds " remarked on this, and 

 noted that of the many who had taken the nests, the only account 

 he possessed was that given him by Anderson, which he quotes as 

 follows : — 



" On the 30th June, I turned my face towards the snows in 

 another direction, determined to consider my expedition a failure so 

 long as the discovery of the breeding haunts of the Woodcock, 

 which was one of its chief objects, still remained unachieved. After 

 two days' stiff marching I pitched camp at a place called Kemo, at 



