THE WOODCOCK. 341 



fastening a copper ring- to its leg. The following j^ear lie per- 

 fectly recognised, })j the help of this mark, the Woodcock which 

 had formerly been his captive ; it had again visited its old 

 haunts. 



During ten months of the j'ear the Woodcock is mute ; when 

 the early leaves begin to bud it utters a feeble cry — pitt-pitt-corr ! 

 — to attract a mate. 



The jDlumage of the Woodcock is remarkable for the harmony 

 of its shades ; it is a happy mixture of browm, russet, grey, black, 

 and white. It is not an unusual thing to meet with Woodcocks 

 entireh' of the latter ; they are the albinos of their kind. Others 

 are arrayed in an Isabelle-coloured plumage (Fig. 130) ; but 

 white, with grey or brown niottlings, are their principal pecu- 

 liarities of plumage. 



The Woodcock is very clean in its habits : nothing prevents 

 it pluming and dressing its feathers twice a day. At morning 

 and evening they can be seen bending their course in rapid flight 

 towards rivulets or springs to bore for insects, quench their thirst, 

 and arrange their toilette. 



This bird is found in almost all the departments in France, but 

 principally in I'Ain and I'lsere. We need hardly say that they 

 are sought after with an eagerness that no obstacle seems to dis- 

 courage. One can scarceljr imagine the pitch of enthusiasm some 

 of our sportsmen possess for pursuit of the Woodcock. They 

 will walk for ten or twelve hours in the mud, leave shreds of 

 their garments hanging on every bush and bramble they pass, 

 exercise all their ingenuitj^ in manoeuvring and cunning, and, as 

 a recompense for all these exertions, not discouraged, perhaps find 

 "the bird flown." This is a short compendium of the results 

 often enjoyed in seeking this woodland denizen. 



The chief difficult}^ in pursuing these birds is, first, to find them, 

 and then to make them flush. Hidden motionless and mute in 

 the thickest bushes, they emit but Ter}^ little scent to catch the 

 nose of the dog, which ranges about in every direction, dis- 

 heartened with such laborious and often unprofitable work. After 

 a long trial of patience and perseverance, scratched and torn by 

 thorns and briers, the sKghtest taint on the air tells the secret — 



