The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-10-01

y9une and prorpiscuous. He is fond Of LOCAL
iiousl.h among the bru.h, and gsItienls5Siy y
afeets the uphill and down.dale county.
s ia and ss sss sr ts s' i az as n
Tho closely ad JAZZ SaD ioSwianas and moist
great numbers In The ssse O ssaSps that grow
f. f H. wide ysllSyf IL driven there md
lands are FAR away. Is sc%psfea to r. remain Ia
the swamps. his dcnuded condition rendering
fhS 9ns shs s
the heart Of such swalpps. who're the flags and
now. for it is an easy matter to discover, dry
Ike w ssF Fsses hHo %asssd
t. ~Slm T sGps tG Where so can msn t
Join the river growth. for haying is over. and
the high water scattcrs, sand that dries up and
down and monlt sec,iutient dy'eni et naiura,n. II
is an easy matter for him, to run In to the rich,
to the holows and pitch holes along tho banks
and piole for fat meal The woodcock takes
ws1 Kindly to Gd sscSng those
apple trees are the fayoritcs and often corn is
can sit in the dry par, Of the field and moultD
witness the many old feathers one finds In tho
o he @ snd run tnS
season the woodcock makes short flights IL
disturbed. and Is very apt to dror down In the
open IL by chance driven outside 81 the cover.
Thtrty-nve years continuous experience has
ied the writer to believe firmly that lust prior
to the hills Of northern Connecticut New York.
and MASSACHUSETTS, from the latitudes OF Penn
il is notorious I that the CIV woodcock disappears
to great extent from those latter local. les in
august. only to return after moulting Is over
that into the first mentloned Districts there is
80 large an influx of birds at this time that It
ground by tho homo birds. The month OF
septemoer is Of the same kind as August, cx-
ed as the poorest time from July In which
pleasurably to hunt for. woodcock. -,
rank-growing and INTERVENING grasses. nor
close bogs, nor big. thick growth, where the
he happens to have found some fresh spring
rn Ia he viii rarely be come n9on among the
he eschews places where it ha bit ualy is found.
unless among widely scattered. large trees. on
old. even though once famous. and become
clogge! with low and entangling vines. and
discover new ones that are growing up These
remarks are for the most part general: It is
not easy, to determine beforehand Just what
special class OF cover woodcock may take to.
and success depends upon finding this, out
each season aud period thereof. Then thor
will enable the sportsman to go direct to the
identical growth and bottom that for the time
pest suits the EHagarles ot TINS iastidions Sirn.
orally drowning tho low and putting the up
lands Undesirable condition, Then the wood.
arrives and the flights begin, the birds drift
ing along slowly at first and remaining IL the
weather is fine and the ground In good con-
dition; The birds each year seem to take lines
OF flight through sections whore storms have
%e eo weos the
woodcock will often stop in buck wheat or corn
stubble and in old potato lots; feed. ana Jour.
o, ali come the little old cock whistlers.'
the skirts Of covers both on the high and low
ground: eNGrept very late In the fall when ice
is made Then they resort to nt the deepeSt
swamps. where old dead brooks run through
md the underground is OF alder brush and
season is particularly, late and tho birds have
tarried beyond their wont. ice, and snow
SSe''% 70 wsFmsr s e%s s they S" will oitea a
from sheer fatigue, drop down to rest
along 81 the roadsdss;; In onen apple he
Now and then some hardy old fellow has been
spring hole. In covers near salt water. birds
remain later than in inland 9nes; as the
cilInaIS IS less severe tu0Te NOOucOCh no
not migrate in fiocks, but seem to journey in
Indian flle-at least the writer has over and
over again seen and heard them flying at dusk.
apparently following in each other wake. at
intervals varying from seconds to minutes.
Early in the fall moving birds seem to scat
ter quite generally about the different covers.
hut In the sharp. late season they mainly settle
in or about some special piece. except possibly
a few straRglers. The writer remem bers hay
ing gone over very large alder cover lying in
ono tract. on certain day In early November.
and never codld he or his companion move one
single cock. The follow ing foren Don We killed
forty on this same piece. and though We
50 otlred the surrounding country later in the
day could only find here and there a bird.
SIR. Woodcock is a bold. brave fellow and a
gentleman every inch Of him. lie never
skulls runs away. II there Is now and
then n poltroon he is the exception that proves
the rule. Often. when the dog Is pointing
j n. whether Wounded or not: will he cock UP
his tail spread like n fan, and. bristling like u
game cock. make fight at tho dog. He Is
much more readily flushed at night. and il
asleep by day he of course appears to lie very
close. as II skulking II the weather, be wild
and windy he Is very much al i've at all times.
Should this little mem orandum about wood.
cock help q fellow sportsman to success and
enjoyment In the field it will have wrought It's
perfect work. The where and the when to
find him have been spoken of. the how to get
:. ScoIopAX"