U8 
SCOLOPACIDiE. 
ORA LLA TORES, 
SCOLOPA CIDM. 
WOODCOCK. 
SCOLOPAX RUSTICOLA. 
PLATE XCVI. 
The Woodcock has long been known to remain in this 
country to breed, but the recorded instances have been, 
till of late, few and far between. Within the last few 
years, however, many of their nests have been discovered, 
and there are few collections without English specimens of 
the eggs. Mr. Yarrell, amongst numerous instances in 
which the eggs or young ones have been met with, 
mentions two of peculiar interest, three or four nests 
having been found within a short distance of each other. 
He says, “The eggs, or young of the Woodcock, have been 
found during one summer or another in almost every 
county in England, as well as in several of those of 
Scotland, and also more frequently of late years than 
formerly/' Whether or not their more frequent occur¬ 
rence may arise from the greater attention which has 
recently been given to Natural History, and the increas¬ 
ing interest felt in this particular department of it, or to 
the fact of a larger number of birds having become domi¬ 
ciled amongst us, I will not attempt to say. Not many 
years ago, when Mr. Bewick was engaged with those 
beautiful woodcuts which have given such celebrity to 
his name, the missel thrush, now everywhere common, 
