The Woodcock's Flight Seeing the leaves moving, I stood still,
wondering what was causing them to tumble about; but nothing more happened, • 1 thought of a hedgehog, a mole or a vole, but it turned out to be none of these. As I went forward a woodcock sprang into the air and went off heavily through the trees. He had been boring for worms under the damp leaves. My chances of seeing him at work were slight. Normally he feeds at night, and he is a wary bird, as secretive in his habits as the water shrew or the corncrake. Those who shoot woodcock say that two kinds arrive, one being slower and more sluggish in his habits than the other. Whether this is true or not, I have noticed that some birds seem heavier in flight. Long ago artists used the wing tip feather for brushet. Today I was looking through an angling book, and was struck by the number of trout fly dressings calling for the plumes of the woodcock.
Previous page
