SCOLOPACID^. 319 



As most sportsmen are aware, "Woodcocks vary greatly in weight, and we have put 

 numbers into the scales, our lightest having been 8.;| oz., and our heaviest exactly 

 double that weight, 17 oz. We have always considered a 12-oz. bird a good Cock. 

 Young birds of the year shot early in the season would average 10|- oz. ; the lieaviest 

 birds are met with after Christmas, our 17-oz. Woodcock was killed in North Devon 

 early in February. 



White and cream-coloui'ed varieties have been obtained and are not very rare. 

 Montagu had a cream-coloured specimen presented to him by Mr. Bulteel, of Flete ; 

 another was purciiased in the Exeter Market by Mr. Comyns. who had also a white 

 variety shot by the Hon. Newton Fellowes at Exiiiouth (E. M., Trans. Plym. Inst. 

 ISott, p. o2()). One with white feathers in the wings was siiot in 1837 on the manor 

 of Moukleigh, near Tiverton, having frequented the same spot for five years (Yarrell, 

 i5. Birds, '2nd ed. iii. p. 16). A similar specimen occurred in North Devon in October 

 18S'J. ilr. T. C'lode shot a baff-coloured Woodcock at Waitchcombe, near Honiton, 

 which was preserved by Mr. Anning, bird-stuft'er, Honiton, for Mr. W. Baines, who 

 was at the time residing at Shute Park. A buff-coloured 'one, with white wings, 

 occurred to us in North Devon, and a white one was shot at Portledge that had been 

 seen in the covers for several seasons in succession. 



Mr. J. Gatiumbe has described a very pretty variety which was sent into Plymouth 

 from Cornwall, that had a ])ure white patch on the top of its head, a ring round 

 the neck taking in part of tlie chest, and white wing-coverts, the bases of the pri- 

 maries being also tinged with the same ; the other parts were of the usual colour, or 

 perhaps a sliade lighter, the whole plumage strongly reminding him of that of the 

 Snow-Bunting in winter ; its legs appeared to have been nearly of the usual tint, with 

 the exception of a pLire white claw on one toe of each foot. In the same note he 

 mentions a singular way in which the boys of Looe and Polperro capture Woodcocks, 

 •• with bent pins attached to a sh(n-t string, one end fastened to a peg, which is 

 driven into the ground, the pin baited with a worm. I have this year heard for 

 the first time of five Woodcocks having been taken by that method" (Zool. 1881, 

 pp. 'JO, D7). 



At the beginning of the present century Woodcocks do not appear to 

 liave been more numerous in the county than they are at the present day, 

 it Col. Montagu's game-lists, kept by him at the time he resided at Kings- 

 bridge, are to be considered as any evidence. From some of these in our 

 ])Ossession (which vre received from the licv. J. Hellins), it would appear 

 that Col. Montagu took great interest in the pursuit of Woodcocks, as 

 they are chiefly recorded, to the exclusion of other game, the number 

 flushed eacli day, the number fired at, and those brought to bag being 

 carefully set down, as well as the various woods which were tried. The 

 commonest entry is "4 flushed, 2 killed," and I'd was the greatest 

 nu tuber seen by the Colonel in an)' one daj' during the period covered by 

 these lists. We consider rhat the system of Pheasant-preserving and the 

 battue have largelj' contributed of recent years to the increase of the 

 Woodcock all over England. When a great cover is shot through it is 

 quite common for the Woodcocks when flushed, as we have frecjuently 

 noticed, to fly Itack over the beaters' heads, or if they come towards the 

 guns to fly so low, about the height of a man's shoulders, as to oft'er a 

 very dangerous shot which few would venture to take, and thus at the 

 end of the day not many appear in the bag. Probably this cover is oidy 

 shot once or twice agiin at the outside, the majority of the Woodcocks 

 escaping as before, and is then, for tlie .sake of the Pheasants, l<ept (|uiet 

 until the foUowing season. Being thus practically uiidisturl)ed in many 

 a large wood, more an i more Woodcocks every year remain in the soutli 



