Morning journal and courier., 1881-08-03

that fills the bag The sportsman must know the woodcocks tricks and his ways, and from the signs which the bird leaves behind him and their freshness aid his four-footed com panion in tracing the bird to his retreat.
 ELUSIVE SIGNS.
 These signs are the borings or bill holes in the damp ground, where the birds are wont to feed, for the woodcock lives upon worms and insects, which he probes for in the soft soil. To tyro these markings are always deceptive and their great number may mis- lead him into the belief that there are plenty of birds on his beat This is not always the case for one bird will travel over large ex- tent of marsh and leave behind him ground bored up and resembling honeycomb. The proof of this was recently n- lustrated in the case of & captive woodcock For several months this bird was systematically fed and his voracity was thoroughly proved. First of all the bird weigh five ounces, troy During the next twenty -four hours he consumed exactly POO large angle or ground worms, which weighed five and quarter ounces. These were dealt out to him two dozen at time, and after he had finished them, like Oliver Twist, he ask ed for more. He was then weighed and found to weigh no more than when he start ed. Although confined in 8 small canary cage. where the worms had no chance to es- cape, he was by no means a sure catch. From this fact it is feared that in wild state the bird makes many q bill hole for every worm he catches.
 Woodcock are exceedingly cratic in their habits, and according to atmospheric changes they appear and disappear between the twilight and the early morn. After feeding, which generally occupies the bird until the sun warns the air, he either runs or hys a short distance to some cool, shady spot, where he sits nestling close to the ground with his bill resting on his breast or stretched out in front of him. At other times he stands with his bill buried among the scapular feathers. On the approach of the dog the woodcock is oftentimes perfectly quiet, and again he ruff1es up his feathers and struts off to the most dense cover. When suddenly flushed he utters long whistling sound as he rises from the ground. It is then that the sportsman shoots, for in an instant the wood cock is hidden behind the foliage. The sport is esteemed very highly by some, but at best it is hot work and exceedingly trying upon the dogs.
 After killing the bird the next thing is to carry it in such way that it will not taint be- fore the icehouses can be reached This is no easy matter. Perhaps the most success full way is to smooth the feathers down, wrap the bird up in paper sheets and carry him in a wicker creel. Once at home the bird should be placed on ice and eaten as soon afterward ds pO6Slulc.
 THE BEST COOKING.
 AS delicacy there is no game bird that compares with the woodcock To serve him well is an art in cookery, and although the receipt of wrapping the bird in buttered pa per and baking him in the wood embers, aE tresc0, has been accepted as the best, yet the method of a down town cook is by far the most graceful. He says: Prepare by care fully picking them, head and neck; then twist the legs at the joints so as to bring the feet down upon the thighs. Run the bill through the thighs and body and fasten moose with string around the bend of the joint and point of the bill, then fasten it on the back. Place on the woodcock layers of bacon make fast with 8 piece of string and roast them before the fire in quick oven for, say twenty minutes, basting it with but. ter. Fry the quail (which must be chopped up very fine) in @ small saucepan, with lit tie butter, spoonful of mushrooms, parsley and half shalot, seasoned with pepper and salt to taste. Spread on toast, place the bird on it and serve hot"
 The woodcock shooting will not be begun again in New Jersey until October l, when it also opens in Connecticut.