The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-07-25
WOODCOCK.
BY SHOCKS.

The aggravativest bird that flies is
the woodcock. His comings, his goings,
his local habitation, can not be calculated
upon by any known rule; like the little
JOKER" you put your eye on him and he
amt there.
am at present in frame of mind pecu-
llarly fit to enlarge upon this subject as
the aois above named has been so scarce
this season that the best one can do is to
write about him-shooting at him being
out of the question.
Early in the spring the whole country
about here was alive with birds; you could
not walk along the borders of a swamp
but half dozen would flap under your
nose; you couldn't 60 to spring for a
drink but one would cross your line of
vision; now there is not one to be seen.
sportsmen are disgusted-having trav-
eled miles and never got feather. The
fact of the matter being that the recent
rains have flooded the swamps, and the
birds are scattered all over Great ion; so l
must cen stay at home. IT'S an ill wind,
however, that blows no one any good, and
the unfortunate birds will have little
respite, gain strength of wing, and per-
haps hatch another brood.
Of all the outrageously stupid laws ever
enacted, that decree that woodcock may
be shot after the 10th of June is the most
absurd, and why it has not been repealed
through the influence of sporting clubs I
can not conceive. One might with as
much propriety shoot at partridge at this
season as at a woodcock.
There is one consolation, however, which
is that man who shoots woodceck in
June or July, pays dear for his whistle,
for at that time the birds secrete themselves
during the day in the most impenetrable
thickets and marshes, where the atmos-
phere is made up of solution of sheep.
flies and hydrogen, of mosquitoes and
nitrogen, where the cat briers interlace
themselves and stretch like cobwebs from
twig to twig, and where no air can pene-
trate; here with temperature of 1000 fab
renheit the sportsman lunges and plunges,
each step he makes penetrating foot or
two in black mud, or catching in net
work of branches, over which he stumbles
heels over head, friendly drapery of ivy
armed with prickles sharp as cambria nee-
dies catching him under the throat, while
white oak thorn penetrates the seat of
his corduroy breeches; meanwhile his dog
is standing stiff as poker on bird in the
midst of morass SO treacherous that he
is afraid to attempt it.
This is about the style of things in the
hot Summer MONTHS and ten to one if he
does make bag, his birds spoil before he
gets home.
Now, on the contrary, if these birds
were left until September or October, they
would be fully grown, their numbers in
creased considerably, and they would then
seek the upland, and the labors of the
sportsman would be turned into pleasure.
But we must take things as we find them
and pitch into the swamps like others.
Some time ago friend who is an anna
teur in the use of the shot gun, asked me
to tell him something about woodcock;
where they were to be found, and how they
were hunted. My answer was, why every
where, from Canada to Louisiana, wher.
ever you see a little streamlet trickling
through rich black soil, there you will find
wood cock, along all river bottoms, and
frequently in dry seasons far out on the
meadows in the same localities with the
English snipe. You wont find many on
Long Island, or in east Jersey, or east
Delaware, as they don't like a sandy soil.
Although shot at so constantly in and
out of season, they do not diminish mater
tally in numbers from year to year.
They make an appearance in this part of
country early in the Spring, in their yearly
migration from the South. They begin
to lay in May, and it is asserted, hatch two
broods, if not three. They lay four or five
eggs each time, and they very rapidly ar
rive at maturity. The birds moult in July
and frequently disappear most unaccounta-
bly, for weeks, returning quite as mysteri-
ously. Their flight, like that of the snipe,
is apt to take place on moonlight night.
The sportsman to hunt woodcock sue
cessfully, should have his dog completely
under control, and should never let him
range out of sight if he can avoid it, 9TH
erwise he may miss him altogether and
leave him standing a bird.
The usual mode of shooting woodcock is
peculiar, ofteniimes you barely catch
ri; of tGa ri ha ~,
the thicket, and you fire, without the pos
sibility of accurate aim in the direction of
his flight. This is called snap shooting
and is often done SO quickly that the gun
hardly touches your shoulder. Of course
there is good deal Of chance about this,
although msa who do great deal of this
kind of shooting, frequently, by intuition
seemingly, manage to kill a great many
birds. 1t is necessary that one should have
light and short gun, the usual charge
being 81 drachms of powder to an ounce
of number 10 shot The shooting rig for
this sort of work should be as light and
cool as possible.
Thus ended the instructions (?) of "yours,
&c." as to the manner of hunting wood
cock; whether they will meet with the
appreciation of all sportsmen is. as Lord
Dundreary says /" are of the things what
no fellow can find out"
would be pleased to hear from any one
who has anything to say on this subject,
and shall anxiously look for some one to
express his i" views"
"QUID PRO QUO"
Mr.. Greeley was not more opposed to