300 THE GAME BIRDS AND WILD FOWL 



birds he suddenly changes, for a certain time each day, into a 

 bold and obtrusive one. For a quarter of an hour in the early 

 morning and again at night the male birds fly slowly to and fro along 

 certain routes, usually a "drive" or an open glade in the woods 

 or along the borders of the plantations and spinneys, uttering two 

 peculiar notes, sometimes in succession, at others only one of 

 them. One of these notes is a harsh, guttural r-r-r-r-k, the other 

 a cry between a whistle and a hiss, impossible to express on paper. 

 Whilst " roding,'' as it is termed, should rival males meet each 

 other a chase and a combat very often occurs, incited more 

 probably by invasion of haunt rather than the favour of the 

 female. The nest is made in a dry secluded corner of the wood 

 or spinney, where plenty of cover is to be found in the form of 

 last year's withered bracken, tall dry grass, brambles, and drifts of 

 fallen leaves. It is merely a hollow in the ground, rather thickly 

 lined with dry grass and withered leaves, and is usually sheltered 

 more or less with surrounding vegetation, but sometimes in a bare 

 spot at the foot of a tree. The lining materials are occasionally 

 increased whilst incubation is in progress. The eggs of the 

 Woodcock are four in number, and vary in ground colour from 

 very pale yellowish brown to huffish brown, rather sparingly 

 spotted and blotched with reddish brown, and with underlying 

 markings of gray. They measure on an average 17 inch in 

 length by i'35 inch in breadth. Incubation lasts about three 

 weeks. The Woodcock is a close sitter, and usually remains 

 upon the eggs until the last moment ; rarely, if ever, are both 

 parents seen near the nest together. Whether the eggs are ever 

 covered when they are left voluntarily I cannot say, but I strongly 

 suspect that such will prove to be the case. Although this 

 species is solitary enough during the breeding season, as at most 

 other times, several nests may frequently be found within a small 

 area, especially in districts where suitable sites are not very 

 common. Only one brood is usually reared in the year, but 

 instances are on record where fresh eggs have been found in July 

 and August. St. John states that this species is double-brooded 

 in Scotland, and this is also the experience of Hume in India. 

 There can be no question that the female Woodcock very often 

 removes her brood from place to place, carrying them one at a 



