Shore-bird Shooting 339 



The habits of this bird are much like those of 

 our own species. In England the fall " flight " 

 occurs in October, and they return to their breed- 

 ing haunts in March, laying their eggs in some 

 retired spot in the woods in early April. Like 

 our bird the female will remove her young if 

 danger threatens, and has been watched flying 

 with one of them clasped between her thighs. 



The outbreak of a hard northeaster, after a few 

 days of light southerly breeze, when the birds are 

 moving south in autumn, often causes great num- 

 bers to stop on the small island of Heligoland, 

 which is less than one mile square. Herr Gatke 

 tells us that over 11 00 woodcock were shot or 

 netted there, under such conditions, on October 21, 

 1823. Many are snared there annually in large 

 nets made for this purpose, which measure 36 to 

 72 feet in length and about 24 feet in height, the 

 meshes being about 2\ inches in diameter, so that 

 the woodcock can easily get its head and neck 

 through. These nets are set on poles, preferably 

 between buildings or high bushes, and so strung 

 that they can be dropped as soon as the bird be- 

 comes entangled. The woodcock's love of narrow 

 passages leads it to the net, the gray of which in 

 the early morning and the evening hours it does 

 not notice as it passes across the island in migra- 

 tion, and sometimes even in bright daylight it con- 

 tinues its course until the meshes are around it. 



