SCOLOPACID^. 323 



in mild weather it does not often happen that more than one is flashed at 

 a time, but in hard frosts the birds collect around some favourite 

 warm spring, and we have seen twenty or more put up from such places 

 together. In open weather the Woodcock dozes throughout the day 

 beneath his chosen shelter, and at dusk flies like a Hawk a few times up 

 and down the glades of the wood, or about its outskirts, before settling 

 down to feed on the splashets, "When the birds alight on a favourite 

 soft place it is said that they proceed to bore a number of holes witli 

 their bills, and then jump and stamp with their feet upon the ground 

 as hard as they can until worms issue from these holes, which they 

 immediately devour ; and Snipe are said to employ the same tactics. In 

 old days it was customary to hang up nets across the rides in the woods, 

 to catch the Woodcocks when they were " roding " at " cock-shoot time," 

 and covers where this was successfully done are still called " coek-shoots;'' 

 we have a cover with that name on our own property. We have known 

 many "Woodcocks taken in jSTorth Devon, as well as Snipe, in osier springes, 

 and an old gardener of our acquaintance regularly in the winter-time had 

 his small gius set among the cabbage-plants for "Woodcocks, and frequently 

 caught them. Gardens, especially those with high walls round them, and 

 not far distant from woods, are much favoured by Woodcocks, and having 

 such a garden of our own, in which we have repeatedly flushed Cocks 

 among the gooseberry bushes, among clamps of Jerusalem artichokes, &c., 

 we speak from experience. In October, when shooting on the Barnstaple 

 river, we have more than once flushed a Woodcock on the bare sand-flats, 

 probably resting there after a long flight. 



The Woodcock hollows out with her breast a little cup in the moss on 

 which she deposits her four eggs, which closely harmonize in their colour 

 with the dead leaves lying around. 



The Woodcock has been detected nesting both in Cornwall and Dorset. 

 Large flights occasionally visit the Land's End district and the Scilly 

 Islands, and great bags are made. Mr. Cecil Smith recorrls no instance 

 of a Woodcock's nest in Somerset, but it must surely breed in some of tlie 

 line covers which fringe Exmoor and the Qaantock Hills. 



Mr. .J. Gatcombe purchased in Plymouth ^Market a Woodcock whicli 

 had five toes on one of its feet ; the hinder toe had another quite perfect 

 one growing from it (Zool. ISS.5, p. 21). 



Great Snipe. Gallimujo major (Gm.). 



[Double Snipe.] 



A casual visitor, occasionally met with in autumn on the moors. In 

 Scjitember and October ISO.S no less tlian seven specimens \\ere ol)tained 

 in Devorisliire. 



Tills fine Snipe is only an occasional visitor from the North of Eurojio, 

 appearing more frccpicntly in the eastern j)arts of the kingdom than it 

 does in any of the soath-wistorn counties. We liave ours(;lves twice coiiio 

 across it when Snipe-shooting, ouce on Dartmoor and once in Someisut. 



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