THE GUN AT HOME AND ABROAD 
and when boring for worms it continually washed its beak. At night the 
bird was closed in. When released in the morning its pleasure was testi- 
fied by a slight cry. Worms it had a difficulty in picking up if lying on 
the surface, apparently because of the shortness of its lower mandible ; it 
was very fond of the fire, and appeared very happy when basking in its 
warmth. It came to an unfortunate end, being strangled by a piece of 
wire.” 
EDEN VALE, GO. CLARE 
Mr Richard Stackpoole writes as follows: “Woodcocks do not breed 
in county Clare in any number, I have heard of occasional nests being 
found, and have seen one or two couples in the woods here in April and 
May, but not sufficient to warrant my saying that their nesting here is at 
all common. 
“ The flights arrive generally with the full moon in October and 
November; I have been told that sometimes when the birds have first 
arrived they have been killed with sticks on the sea shore, being so tired 
that they were quite unable to rise. Where these flights come from seems 
very doubtful; if they come by sea, what brings them round to the west 
of Ireland, when they could easily land on another part of the coast, 
without reaching the state of exhaustion which they are in when they 
arrive ? I have heard it suggested that they fly across Ireland and are only 
stopped by the Atlantic. If this is so one would think that in the case 
of very tired birds (as they undoubtedly are at times), that they would 
settle on the east coast instead. The fact remains, however, that the great 
majority of the flights arrive on the west coast and spread inland from 
there. I have seen new arrivals, i.e., tired birds as early as the first week 
in October. My woodcock coverts consist of hazel and blackthorn bushes, 
with occasional trees of oak and ash; these grow among limestone rocks, 
where, with the exception of occasional grass patches, there is hardly 
any earth, except in the fissures of the rock. I have noticed hazel leaves 
freshly turned over in the daytime, but except what they can find among 
these, the ’cock have no feeding in the coverts, and we generally find them 
among the bare patches of rock. That they like absolute quiet is certain ; 
in one of my coverts I allowed the rabbits to increase, with the result that 
for a couple of seasons I had hardly any ’cock in it. When I killed down 
the rabbits they returned to it again. When the undercovert gets too 
high and bare underneath, woodcocks will not stay in it. Since 1902 
254 
