478 AMERICAN WOODCOCK. 



a gun, makes his appearance. But, Reader, observe an old cock on such 

 occasions : there he lies, snugly squatted beneath the broad leaves of that 

 " sconk cabbage" or dock. I see its large dark eye meeting my glance ; 

 the bird shrinks as it were within its usual size, and, in a crouching atti- 

 tude, it shifts with short steps to the other side. The nose of the faithful 

 pointer marks the spot, but unless you are well acquainted with the ways 

 of Woodcocks, it has every chance of escaping from you both, for at this 

 moment it runs off' through the grass, reaches a clump of bushes, crosses it, 

 and, taking to wing from a place toward which neither you nor your dog 

 have been looking, you become flustered, take a bad aim, and lose your shot. 

 Thousands of persons besides you and myself are fond of Woodcock 

 shooting. It is a healthful but at times laborious sport. You well know 

 the places where the birds are to be found under any circumstances ; you 

 are aware that, if the weather has been for some time dry, you must resort 

 to the damp meadows that border the Schuylkil, or some similar places ; 

 that should it be sultry, the covered swamps are the spots which you ought 

 to visit ; but if it be still lowering after continued rain, the southern sides 

 of gentle hills will be found preferable ; that if the ground is covered 

 with snow, the oozy places visited by the Snipe are as much resorted to 

 by the Woodcock ; that after long frost, the covered thickets along some 

 meandering stream are the places of their retreat ; and you are aware 

 that, at all times, it is better for you to have a dog of any kind than 

 to go without a dog at all. Well, you have started a bird, v/hich v/ith 

 easy flaps flies before you in such a way that- if you miss it, your com- 

 panion certainly will not. Should he, however, prove as unsuccessful 

 as yourself, you may put up the bird once, twice, or thrice in succession, 

 for it will either alight in some clump of low trees close by, or plunge 

 into a boggy part of the marsh. As you advance towards him, you 

 may chance to put up half a score more, and stupid though you should 

 be, you must be a bad shot indeed if you do not bring some one of 

 tliem to the ground. Aye, you have done it, and are improving at the 

 sport, and you may be assured that the killing of Woodcocks requires 

 more practice than almost any other kind of shooting. The young sports- 

 man shoots too quick, or does not shoot at all, in both which cases the 

 game is much better pleased than you are yourself. But when once you 

 have acquired the necessary coolness and dexterity, you may fire, charge 

 and fire again from morning till night, and go on thus during the wliole 

 of the Woodcock season. 



