THE WOODCOCK 
trees, in silence, until he caught the glint of 
water in the Pool once more, and began his 
serenade anew. So he flew, round and round, 
until the light faded behind Scarabeg, and then 
he dropped into the swamp at last. 
They fed side by side that night. She never 
encouraged nor yet refused his presence, and 
now that the frenzy of his flight was over, he 
was content to feed quietly beside her. But at 
daybreak he flew again, and told the fading 
stars about her, until the other 'cock loitering 
in the wood heard him and came out also. 
Each kept strictly to his own high-road through 
the trees ; and they flew round and round until 
it was light enough to distinguish the purple 
of the beech buds from the green of the pines. 
That is how the woodcock goes " reading " in 
the spring. 
Thus ran their courtship at dawn and dusk, 
and at length one morning Creaman took the 
" lie " closest to her own, hustling away all 
rivals. The Man still walked through the 
woods, for, as we have said, he shot for the 
pot, and cared little for Acts of Parliament. 
There were now few but home-breeding wood- 
cock left in Garrybrack, for the last migrants 
99 
