WOODCOCK SHOOTING 
my coverts have been regularly cut ; this makes the hazel break low and 
grow bushy, with the result that the bags have considerably increased. 
These used to average twenty or thirty ’cock for the first time over, but 
since the coverts have been cut they have considerably increased, as the 
following list will show ” : 
Year 
Beat 
First Time Season 
Remarks 
1903 . 
Eden Vale 
. 54 . 
102 . 
The coverts were put in proper 
1904 . 
. 56 . 
102 . 
order in 1900. Before that year 
1905 . 
»9 
. 67 . 
no . 
the bag was from 20 to 30 first 
1906 . 
. 73 . 
135 . 
time over. 
1907 . 
>9 
. 52 . 
84 . 
1908 . 
99 
. 43 . 
Ill . 
1909 . 
9 9 
. 82 . 
142 . 
1910 . 
9 9 
. 67 . 
112 . 
1911 . 
99 
. 46 . 
46 . 
The worst year we have had, the 
weather being too mild. 
GLENSTAL, CO. LIMERICK 
Sir Charles Barrington, of Glenstal, sends the following interesting 
letter, dated February 4, 1912 : 
“ Woodcock begin to appear here in numbers at the end of October and 
the beginning of November, but, all the same, a few come dribbling in from 
the end of September, and I am unable to see here any difference between 
what are said to be foreign birds and our own that have bred here. In 
fact, there is no difference, but when some one picks up and feels a bird 
that is thin, he says it is a foreigner. 
“ I think our home-bred birds do not go away to any great distance, 
but only just move about locally as the food supply varies — of course 
this only refers to Glenstal, and not to other places further north. 
“ I have seen them feeding on the lawn here Just at dusk, sometimes 
almost standing on their heads, with the bill right down in the ground 
after a worm (I suppose), but generally getting the worms with a side 
thrust; after every five or six efforts they take an easy and shake them- 
selves up and settle their feathers, and then at it again until successful. 
I could never see them get the worm, they are so quick. 
“ Colour. I have never seen a white or black one, but have seen a buff- 
coloured specimen and a curious light -coloured one, which was shot here. 
“ Nesting. The ’cock nest here, I may say in great numbers ; I have seen 
as many as twenty flying about here on a fine summer evening. They began 
breeding round Glenstal seriously about 1870 ; before that we used to have 
255 
