woo 



black line drawn acrofs the eyes, and then downwards 

 00 each fide the neck ; the head and hind part of the 

 neck are of a bright bay ; the upper part of the back 

 dufky; the coverts of the tail grey ; the fcapulars w nte ; 

 the coverts of tlje wings duHcy ; the quiU-feathers black, 

 having a white fpot at the bottom ; the throat, brealt, and 

 belly of a yeUowilh-white ; the legs black. In the fe- 

 male, tlie upper part of the head, neck, and body, are 

 reddifh, ftriatcd tranfverfely with brown ; the lower parts 

 of the body are of a dirty white, rayed with brown ; 

 the tail of a reddilh-brown, marked near the end with 

 dulky, and tipt with red. Pennant. 



VfooD-Coci, Scolopax rujlicola of Linnxus, called by 

 other vrriters h becaje, a weU-known bird diftinguifhed 

 by its fize, which is fomewhat fmaller than that of the 

 partridge, and by its colour, which is on the back a va- 

 riegation of black, grey, and a reddifh-brown ; on the 

 forehead the black predominates; the quill-feathers are 

 duflcy, indented with red marks ; and on the belly a 

 pale grey, variegated with tranfverfe ftreaks of brown. 

 Its beak is three inches long, dulky toward the end, and 

 reddifh at the bafe, and the upper chap a little longer 

 than the under: the tongue flender, long, Iharp, and 

 hard at the point ; the eyes large, and placed near 

 the top of the head, that they may not be injured when 

 the bird thrufts its bill into the ground : from the bill to 

 the eyes is a black line ; the forehead is a reddilh afh- 

 colour ; the chin is of a pale yellow ; the tail confifts 

 of twelve feathers, duflcy or black on the one web, and 

 marked with red on the other ; the tips above are a(h- 

 coloured, below white: the legs and toes are livid, the 

 latter divided almoft to their origin, having only a very 

 fmall web between the middle and interior toes. 



Thefe birds, during fummer, are inhabitants of the 

 Alps, Norway, Sweden, Pohlh Pruffia, the Mark of Bran- 

 denburg, and the northern parts of Europe ; whence they 

 emigrate at the approach of winter into milder climates, 

 where the ground is open and adapted to their manner 

 of feeding. The time of their appearance and difap- 

 pearance in Sweden coincides exaftly with that of their 

 retreat from and arrival in Great Britain. They live on 

 worms and infefts, which they fearch for with their long 

 bills in foft ground and moifl woods. They generally 

 arrive here in flocks, taking advantage of the night or a 

 mift ; they foon feparate : but before they return to 

 their native haunts, pair. They feed and fly by night ; 

 beginning their flight in the evening, and returning the 

 fame way to their day -retreat. 



They leave England the latter end of February, or 

 beginning of March ; though they have been known to 

 continue here accidentally. In Cafewood, near Tun- 

 bridge, a few breed almoft annually. During incubation 

 they are very tame. They come over to the coaft of Suf^ 

 folk fparingly in the firft week of Oftober, the greater 

 number not arriving till the months of November and 

 December, and always after fun-fet. They are determined 

 in their flight by the wind, and arrive feparate and 

 difperfed. When the red-wing appears on the coaft in 

 autumn, tlie wood-cocks are at hand ; and when the 

 Royfton crow is arrived, they are come. Between the 

 12th and 25th of March they flock towards the coaft 

 to be ready for their departure, having the red-wings for 

 their harbingers in fpring, as in autumn. If the wind be 

 favourable, they immediately depart ; but otherwife, they 

 are detained in the neighbouring woods, or among the 

 ling and furze on the coaft : as foon as a fair wind fprings 

 up, they arc fuddenly gone. 



WOO 



In the fame maxmit they are known to quit France, 

 Germany, and Italy ; making the northern and cold fitu- 

 ations their general fummer rendezvous. In the winter 

 they are found as far fouth as Smyrna and Aleppo, and 

 alfo in Barbary ; and fome have appeared as far fouth 

 as Egypt, which feems to be the limit of their migration in 

 that way. In Japan they are found very common. Thofe 

 that refort into the countries of the Levant probably come 

 from the defarts of Siberia or Tartary, or the cold moun- 

 tains of Armenia. 



Our fpecies of wood-cock is unknown in North America ; 

 but they have a fort of wood-cock refembling ours in its 

 general appearance ; about half its fize, and Wanting the 

 bars on the breaft and belly. Pennant. 



They hate flying high, and they are afraid to fly among 

 trees, becaufe, like the hare, they fee but very badly ftraight 

 before them ; and it is owing to this imperfeftion in their 

 fight, that they are fo eafily taken in nets fpread in their 

 places of refort. 



The draw-net, in countries which are very woody, is ex- 

 tremely profitable in this fport, it being no uncommon thing 

 to take ten or a dozen wood-cocks at a time in it. 



There is another method of taking thefe birds in high 

 woods, with thofe nets called hays, of the nature of the 

 ralibit-hays, only with fmaller meflies. The wood-cocks 

 are to be driven into thefe, and there (hould always be at 

 leaft two or three of them planted together. When the 

 fportfman has provided himfelf with nets, he is to take five 

 or fix perfons into the wood with him. The proper woods 

 for this purpofe are thofe of feven or eight years' growth ; 

 and the people are to go into fome part of them near the 

 middle. The nets or hays are to be placed in the fame 

 manner as they are for taking of rabbits, but two or three 

 joining together at the end, and hanging over flopewife 

 that way which the wood-cocks are intended to be 

 driven. 



The nets being thus fixed, let the company go to the end 

 of the wood, placing themfelves at about ten rods diftance 

 from one another ; they rauft all have fticks in their hands, 

 and they are to move forward ilowly towards the nets, mak- 

 ing a noife by ftriking the fticks againft the trees and 

 branches, and by hallooing with their voices : in this man- 

 ner they are to move up to the net ; and the wood-cocks in 

 that part of the wood will all be terrified before them, but 

 will not take wing, but run along upon the ground, and 

 thus be driven along like a drove of beafts, fo that when the 

 company come up, they will find almoft all of them in the 

 net. When that part of the wood is thus driven, the nets 

 are to be turned the other way, and placed flopewife in the 

 contrary direftion, and the company retiring to the other 

 end of the wood, are to drive the wood-cocks that are in 

 that part with the fame noife, till they have fent them into 

 the nets in the fame manner. 



Thus all the wood-cocks in the wood may be taken with 

 very little trouble, and this may be done equally at any time 

 of the day. 



Another way of taking this bird is by means of noozes or 

 fpringes. 



The wood-cock and the fnipe are both eafily taken with 

 bird-lime, when their places of refort are known, but they 

 are not fo eafily found as many other birds. 



The cuftom of the wood-cock is ufually to be upon the 

 banks under hedges, and by the fides of ditches toward the 

 fun ; and they will fuffer the fportfmen to come nearer them 

 in the day-time after a moon-fhiny night, than after a dark 

 one. The reafon of which is, that having fed well by 

 moon-light, they are only fit for reft the day following ; 



but 



