38 SCOLOPACID.E. 



weather, since it is a rave circumstance to meet with one 

 in the depth of our severe vrinters, but when the winter 

 is mild, it occurs throughout the shooting-season till the 

 spring. Its susceptibily of cold is, doubtless, not the 

 only reason for the Woodcock forsaking us in severe 

 winters, but its difficulty in finding food must be great 

 when the water is frozen, and the ground rendered imper- 

 vious to its soft bill when hardened by a continued frost. 

 In this is again seen the wonderful care of Providence, 

 in instilling that instinct into His creatures which enables 

 them to pursue the right road towards finding their food 

 under all gradations of circumstances. 



By the end of the month of February, Woodcocks 

 arrive in small numbers from the southern counties, in 

 the midlands and Scotland, but the main body does not ap- 

 pear from the continent before the middle of March, and con- 

 tinues to arrive for about a month ; this is accounted for by 

 the greater distances the latter have come from. It has 

 been frequently remarked, that when the swallows arrive 

 in the spring, there are no more Woodcocks to be expected. 

 The fact that the number of this species is so much 

 greater in some years than in others, is very extraordinary, 

 although the general state of the weather may be the same, 

 and equally suitable ; but this is supposed to depend upon 

 the direction of the wind at the time of its autumnal migra- 

 tion, it being ascertained, that this bird dislikes flying against 

 the wind if it blows hard, and by directing its course south 

 with a side wind, it necessarily passes over a different 

 country, according to circumstances. 



It may be useful to remark here, that when the weather 

 is mild during the month of February, the Woodcock is 

 sure to begin to move northward about the middle of that 

 month, and continues to arrive in numbers, and if it freezes 



