SHOOTING THE WOODCOCK. 125 



being abundant in the soil. The woodcock does 

 not frequent sandy, thirsty soils, nor gravelly 

 ground, nor sour, wet meadows. It wants warmth 

 and richness, as well as plenty of moisture. The 

 bird is nocturnal in its habits, and its great eye, 

 placed far backwards and upwards in its large 

 head, enables it to see by night and in the gloom 

 of the thick coverts in which it lies by day. It 

 never flies by day, unless disturbed, and seldom 

 feeds in the daytime, unless it be on rare occa- 

 sions in the thick shade of some moist and closely- 

 overgrown spot in its cover. Late in the evening, 

 when it is nearly dark, the woodcock leave the 

 cover, and betake themselves to wet, rich places 

 to bore for their food. It used to be a popular 

 notion that woodcock and snipe ate nothing, and 

 lived merely by what was called suction ; whereas 

 they are both voracious feeders and like the 

 richest quality of food — namely, the plump worms 

 and insects to be found in fat soils. After indus- 

 triously spending the night in finding food to 

 satisfy his enormous appetite, the woodcock re- 

 turns just before dawn of day to the thick brake 

 or close overgrown " cripple," in which he lies 

 while the daylight lasts. Where there is good 

 lying and good feeding ground, woodcock may be 



