298 THE GAME BIRDS AND WILD FOWL 



n the early morning before actual sunrise on the shores of the 

 Wash, skulking in the hedge-bottoms amongst the drifts of 

 autumn leaves, or on the sea banks amongst the long dry grass. 

 Here they generally remain, if not much disturbed, until the 

 evening, and then, under the cover of darkness, continue their 

 flight inland to their favourite and more suitable winter haunts. 

 Many migrating Woodcocks come to grief at the lighthouses, 

 attracted by the glare of the lanterns. The Woodcock very 

 often arrives on our coasts, especially in autumn, in considerable 

 numbers, or " rushes," but the bird, notwithstanding, is eminently 

 a solitary one, even on passage, and these unusual arrivals are 

 caused by a prolonged spell of unfavourable weather detaining 

 them on Continental Europe, and causing them to accumulate 

 whilst waiting for a favourable passage. As soon as this is 

 presented all start off, eager to get to their journey's 

 end, and consequently arrive simultaneously on our coasts, 

 but as soon as they reach land they separate and each 

 bird, or at most a pair, retire to their own particular haunts. 

 Even in districts where the Woodcock is common during winter 

 no gregarious tendencies are ever observed, and the birds are 

 flushed with rare exceptions one after the other from certain 

 favoured spots. Its habits are quite as solitary as those of the 

 Snipes, and like those birds it is ever changing its ground, 

 sometimes for no apparent cause. Woodcock-shooting is a sport 

 that should never be put off till to-morrow ; if plenty of birds 

 chance to be in the covers they should be looked after at once, 

 for very often, if a night is allowed them, they have taken their 

 departure. The favourite haunts of the Woodcock are plantations 

 of young trees and spinneys, with plenty of long grass and under- 

 growth, and the borders of woods, where similar cover abounds, 

 especially hollies, under which the bird loves to skulk during the 

 day. Its feeding grounds are marshes, swamps, and the boggy 

 banks of streams, even turnip-fields, and these are often at some 

 considerable distance from the haunts it frequents during the day- 

 time. The Woodcock feeds principally at night, and it retires to 

 its favourite pastures with great regularity about dusk, following a 

 certain track to and from them ; when its feeding places are close 

 by, it always prefers to walk down to them. Even whilst feeding 



