|44 NATURALISTS CABINET. 



Delightful appearance Remarkable nerves. 



a black line on each side ; nearer to the bill, it is 

 more reddish, the whole beautifully variegated with 

 red, black, grey, and ash-colour, which viewed to- 

 gether makes a very delightful appearance ; the 

 breast and belly are mc*e grey, with a variety 

 of transverse pal and brown lines. The sides of 

 the wings are crossed with various red bars, like 

 those on the head, with a few pale or whiter fea- 

 thers, interspersed upon each ; the under parts of 

 the wings are a mixture of grey and brown, with 

 a variety of crossed or waved lines. The tail is 

 about three inches long, the upper part of the 

 tips cinereous or brown, the under white, which 

 when it raises its tail, as it frequently does while 

 feeding, is often discovered by those feathers. 

 The legs and feet are of a dusky pale colour; and 

 the claws, which are very small, black. 



Woodcocks, according to their name, fre- 

 quent woods, and woody places, where there are 

 rivulets ; they are very often found also on the 

 sides of banks, near watry ditches, and in small 

 brambles and coverts, where they feed amongst 

 slime and earth ; from whence Mr. Willoughby 

 says they draw small shell fish, worms, and other 

 insects ; but Mr. Durham is of opinion that they 

 feed chiefly on the fatty unctuous humour they 

 suck out of the earth, for which purpose he says 

 they have remarkable nerves reaching to the end 

 of their bills, peculiarly appropriated to the pur- 

 poses of insertion and suction. They go out in 

 the evening, feeding, and flying, principally in 



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