800 
BIRD-LIFE. 
marksman’s pride, and the housekeeper’s joy. Taking for 
granted that every one is more or less acquainted with 
this singular creature, there remains no necessity on my 
part to describe it; I will, therefore, only state that it is 
about the same size as the Partridge, the general plumage 
being of the colour of bark or tan, the upper part of 
the head unusually high and prominent, the beak long, 
the eyes large and set far back in the head. 
The Woodcock inhabits nearly the whole of the 
northern part of the Old World, and is known from 
Japan to Spain, from Norway to Greece, and from 
Siberia to India. In the North it is a summer guest and 
a migrant; in the South—for instance, in Italy—it is a 
bird of passage all the year round. In North Germany 
it appears with the lily of the valley and when the fig- 
wort begins to sprout, shifting its quarters hither and 
thither until the Swallows return amongst us, at which 
time it remains stationary till the end of September, 
when it commences its journey southwards by easy 
stages. The Woodcock travels by night, but the weather 
must not be too boisterous; in which case, or if the 
nights are very dark, it remains quiet until the weather 
improves. Heavy gales, storms, and other impediments 
also serve to delay the migration. It is rare that the 
Woodcock remains long in one place when on the 
“ passage; ” the bird seeks, as much as possible, to con¬ 
tinue the journey as fast as circumstances will permit. 
It is always met with earlier in large woods than in the 
smaller copses, which latter are only visited during the 
principal “ flight.” At times the Woodcock is found in 
large numbers in places which it generally avoids, and 
often the contrary occurs. It is a capricious and fas¬ 
tidious bird. 
