38 
The Scottish Natiiralist. 
In regard to woods, those composed of birch always hold more birds than 
do those of fir ; indeed, all game seem to prefer birch to the latter, with the 
exception perhaps of pheasants. 
When Woodcocks come to the whin bushes, they always prefer those that are 
old and hollow in the centre to the thicker, and apparently more shelter-giving 
ones ; the reason for this is that the bird likes to be able to move about in his 
temporary abode, and get away easily, which he cannot do if the bush is too 
thick ; indeed, in such situations, we have often heard the bird fluttering to 
get out, when disturbed by the dogs, and then settle down again, until 
eventually driven out. 
In many places on the east coast may be found patches of old natural grass, 
more or less wet — these form a very great attraction to the Woodcocks, whose 
borings and droppings may be seen in such places in any direction. 
In those steep burns whose sides are more or less covered with bushes and 
which run roughly, east and west, we have observed that Woodcocks prefer the 
more northerly and, apparently, colder aspect. This was especially noticeable 
the other day when beating two such burns, as out of some fifteen or sixteen 
birds seen, only about three were flushed on that side of the burn which faced 
south and west, and one or two of these might have come over from the other 
side when disturbed. 
After this long digression, which, however, we trust may have something o 
interest, if not of novelty, in it, we must finish by making out our original 
point, vzz., that a more than usually large flight of Woodcocks pitched in 
Sutherland this season. 
On Monday, Nov. 17th, after 2.30 p.m. ten Woodcocks were found; on 
Tuesday i8th, two guns got ten, and several move were seen ; and on 
Wednesday 19th, the same guns shot eighteen, and at least twenty-five were 
found, probably more. 
These numbers may not appear large to many of our readers, no doubt 
but at the place we are alluding to, so many birds are rarely, if ever seen, ex- 
cept in a storm, and not always then ; and, during the three days given above, 
the weather was very mild and open, and by no means favourable for Wood- 
cock shooting there. 
We heard, too, of large numbers having been seen in another very similar 
locality not far from this, so the flight would appear to have been very genercU. 
Beyond the " small dark " bird, and the " large, light-coloured " bird, so often 
mentioned by sportsmen, we have never noticed any allusion to the variations 
in the plumage of the Woodcock. Anyone who will take the trouble to ex- 
amine a lot of these birds hanging up with their backs to the front, will see 
that they are by no means all shaded and marked alike. — T. E. BUCKLEY, 
Rossal, Inverness. 
Hybrid between Pheasant and Capercailzie.— A hybrid be- 
tween these species was shot here on 8th of November last. It was observed 
feeding in a corn field along with some pheasants, and on being disturbed ran 
a considerable distance before taking wing. It shows very clearly the character- 
istics of both species in both plumage and shape. 
