﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  189 
  

  

  Woodcocks 
  were 
  found 
  about 
  Kintradwell, 
  Brora, 
  in 
  great 
  quanti- 
  

   ties, 
  along 
  with 
  lurks, 
  also 
  in 
  large 
  numbers, 
  and 
  as 
  these 
  latter 
  

   birds 
  are 
  not 
  common 
  in 
  that 
  district, 
  we 
  must 
  conclude 
  that 
  this 
  

   was 
  a 
  checked 
  migration. 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  to 
  us 
  that 
  Woodcocks 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  of 
  Scotland 
  prefer 
  

   to 
  breed 
  in 
  birch 
  woods 
  rather 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  description 
  of 
  

   woodland, 
  though 
  locally 
  in 
  other 
  parts 
  of 
  Scotland 
  they 
  are 
  

   equally 
  fond 
  of 
  oak-coppices. 
  And, 
  a 
  projpos 
  of 
  their 
  breeding, 
  we 
  

   should 
  be 
  glad 
  to 
  know 
  what 
  happens 
  to 
  the 
  very 
  great 
  numbers 
  

   of 
  birds 
  during 
  September 
  that 
  are 
  bred 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  ; 
  that 
  is 
  to 
  

   say, 
  up 
  to 
  August 
  or 
  near 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  that 
  month 
  the 
  Woodcocks 
  

   are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  their 
  breeding 
  haunts, 
  but 
  after 
  that, 
  and 
  until 
  

   the 
  autumn 
  migration 
  sets 
  in, 
  scarcely 
  one 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  

   woods 
  where 
  they 
  were 
  so 
  common 
  in 
  the 
  summer. 
  It 
  is 
  doubtful 
  

   if 
  any 
  remain 
  in 
  eastern 
  areas, 
  but 
  of 
  course 
  some 
  few 
  remain 
  in 
  

   the 
  higher 
  lands 
  of 
  the 
  west, 
  but 
  nothing 
  to 
  what 
  were 
  bred. 
  

   Such 
  at 
  least 
  is 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  our 
  observations, 
  and 
  we 
  notice 
  that 
  

   when 
  St. 
  John 
  wrote 
  he 
  made 
  the 
  same 
  remarks. 
  On 
  their 
  arrival 
  

   in 
  the 
  autumn, 
  Woodcocks 
  are 
  spread, 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  at 
  least, 
  over 
  

   the 
  hills, 
  certain 
  favourite 
  localities 
  being 
  always 
  occupied 
  ; 
  they 
  

   are 
  not 
  scattered 
  broadcast, 
  only 
  certain 
  districts, 
  even 
  spots, 
  being 
  

   inhabited. 
  In 
  steep 
  hilly 
  ground 
  we 
  have 
  only 
  found 
  the 
  birds 
  at 
  

   a 
  certain 
  line 
  on 
  the 
  hill-side, 
  there 
  being 
  very 
  few 
  either 
  above 
  or 
  

   below 
  that 
  line, 
  except 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  certain 
  favoured 
  localities, 
  

   or 
  when 
  there 
  are 
  woods. 
  Frost, 
  unless 
  very 
  severe, 
  is 
  rarely 
  

   sufficient 
  to 
  drive 
  the 
  birds 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  coast 
  and 
  the 
  neighbour- 
  

   ing 
  woods, 
  but 
  a 
  heavy 
  fall 
  of 
  snow, 
  combined 
  with 
  frost, 
  or 
  even 
  

   an 
  ordinary 
  fall, 
  if 
  the 
  storm 
  is 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  continuous, 
  will 
  do 
  so 
  in 
  

   the 
  course 
  of 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  days 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  rarely 
  that 
  the 
  birds 
  

   come 
  down 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  day 
  or 
  two. 
  

  

  The 
  numbers 
  of 
  migratory 
  Woodcocks 
  vary 
  remarkably 
  in 
  

   different 
  years. 
  One 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  remarkable 
  for 
  numbers 
  was 
  

   the 
  season 
  of 
  1890-91, 
  when 
  the 
  amount 
  bagged 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  

   enormous, 
  from 
  all 
  the 
  accounts 
  we 
  received 
  and 
  heard 
  of, 
  and 
  

   from 
  what 
  we 
  saw 
  ourselves 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  parts 
  of 
  Scotland. 
  

   On 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  the 
  season 
  of 
  1892-93 
  was 
  one 
  of, 
  if 
  not 
  the, 
  

   poorest 
  on 
  record, 
  from 
  all 
  the 
  reports 
  that 
  have 
  reached 
  us, 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  our 
  own 
  observations. 
  

  

  Woodcocks 
  are 
  repeatedly 
  designated 
  by 
  observers 
  as 
  'very 
  

  

  