WOOD-COCK. 139 



Length 14 to nearly 16 inches ; wing 8 to 8J ; tail 3£. Bill 

 (front) 3 to 3 T %; tarsus 1J to ly 8 ^; extent of wing 24 to 26 inches; 

 mid-toe If. Average weight 9 to 10 ounces, varies from 7 to 14 

 ounces and more. The female is larger, with the colours more 

 dull. The wings reach to about 1£ inches from the end of the tail. 



The Wood-cock is a winter visitant to the more elevated w T ooded 

 regions of India, the Himalayas, the Neilgherries, the Pulneys, 

 Shervaroys, Coorg, and doubtless all the higher ranges of Southern 

 India. During its periodical migrations north and south, indivi- 

 duals are occasionally killed in various parts of the country. 

 Several were procured in the Calcutta market by Mr. Blyth ; 

 I have heard of its having been at least once obtained in the 

 Madras market ; and various other instances of its having been 

 procured in different parts of the country have come to my know- 

 ledge, viz., at Chittagong, Berhampore, Noacolly, Tipperah, Dacca, 

 Masulipatam, &c. The Wood-cock is late in arriving, generally not 

 appearing before the middle of October, and usually later ; it leaves 

 in February. It frequents damp woods, especially if there is a 

 stream running through, or boggy and swampy spots either in 

 the wood or just at the edge, and the holes made by its bill when 

 probing the soft soil for worms, may often be noticed, if carefully 

 looked for. On the Himalayas, in general, it is difficult to 

 procure, owing to the extent of the woods and the steepness of the 

 ground ; but on the Neilgherries and other hill ranges of Southern 

 India, the woods are small, well defined, and easily beaten by men 

 and dogs, and Wood-cock shooting is a favorite pastime with sports- 

 men. I have killed 8 in a forenoon, and have known 16 and 20 

 killed by two or three guns. In Coorg, where the woods are very 

 extensive, the sportsman walks up some likely-looking wet nullah, 

 with one or two men on each side, and gets a snap shot now and 

 then. Mountaineer states that they breed in the hills near the 

 snows, in considerable numbers. At this season they are seen 

 towards dusk, about the open glades and borders of the forest on 

 the higher ridges, flying rather high in the air, in various directions, 

 and uttering a loud wailing cry. Major Walter Sherwill observed 

 the same in the interior of Sikim. 



