AMERICAN WOODCOCK. 173 



themselves at break of day to their shady haunts. These 

 remarks apply of course to the season of non-migration. 



As the Woodcock, generally, revisits the place of its 

 birth, those that survive the shooting season will probably 

 return the following year to the coverts in which they 

 have been reared. The season for cock-shooting is 

 nominally from the 1st of August to the 1st of March, 

 but the beginning of November generally sees their 

 departure. It is the practice in the Upper Province to 

 commence on the 15th of July; which is too early, for 

 in some seasons birds are killed not more than three- 

 fourths grown, and in late years the old ones may be 

 taken away from half-fledged second broods. Though 

 a fortnight or three weeks makes a difference in this 

 respect it does not in the temperature, and August shoot- 

 ing is anything but easy work in the young woods. 

 Twining stems of the sweet-scented vine cross one's path 

 at every step, while dense briars and rank underwood, 

 meeting the low spreading branches of the black oak and 

 maple, render it as difficult to progress as to raise the 

 gun, or even to get more than a momentary glimpse of 

 the flapping bird, which suddenly rises and as suddenly 

 drops over the bushes out of sight. Add to this the 

 thermometer at 90°, with myriads of musquitoes, and you 

 have a fair idea of summer covert shooting in Canada. 

 In many places I have found these insect torments so 



