40 SCOLOPACID.E. 



as it invariably squats on the ground close to a stem among 

 the foliage, but is never seen perched in a tree. The 

 springy moist spots in the woods where the foliage is close to 

 the ground, or where blackberry-bushes are intermixed with 

 the trees, or where hazel and alders grow, this species seeks 

 invariably, provided the grass is short, void of moss, and the 

 ground covered with plenty of decayed foliage ; we do not 

 remember ever to have put up a Woodcock from spots 

 where long dead grasses might be supposed to afford him 

 shelter. 



The judgment which birds shew in choosing the locality 

 the best adapted to their wants is in none more perceptible 

 than in the Woodcock. This is so remarkable that dur- 

 ing the time of migration a sportsman, if he knows any 

 particular spot in a wood that is frequented by this species, 

 may visit the place several mornings in succession, and he 

 will be pretty sure to find every day a bird. Persons who 

 are unacquainted with this fact, believe that if they do not 

 kill their bird it returns again and again to roost, which after 

 killing the bird and pocketing it one morning, can certainly 

 not be the case the next. 



The general appearance of the Woodcock is exceedingly 

 strange and ludicrous, when seen staring from its hiding 

 place, owing to the length of its forehead, the flatness of the 

 head, and the large size of the eyes, that appear as if they 

 lay on the head instead of forming part of its sides ; its 

 walk resembles that of a duck more than a snipe, owing to 

 the breadth of its body and the shortness of its legs. 



The flight of the Woodcock is slow in comparison to that 

 of all other snipes, but the bird is capable of turning and 

 twisting itself in all manner of ways, which enables it to fly 

 through a plantation of trees with peculiar cleverness, and 

 thereby frequently avoids being shot. 



