File:The encyclopaedia of sport (1897) (14597488458).jpg

Identifier: encyclopaediaofs02suff (find matches)
Title: The encyclopaedia of sport
Year: 1897 (1890s)
Authors: Suffolk and Berkshire, Henry Charles Howard, Earl of, 1833-1898 Peek, Hedley Aflalo, Frederick G. (Frederick George), 1870-1918
Subjects: Horses Sports Games
Publisher: London : Lawrence and Bullen
Contributing Library: Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine
Digitizing Sponsor: Tufts University

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here are two distinct races of woodcock, onelarge and light-coloured, the other small anddark, which keep apart and arrive independently.At Kilnsea, near the Spurn, it is said that asouth-east wind always brings large grey orlight-coloured woodcocks, and a north windsmall and red-coloured birds, and this is re-ported from other parts of the coast. (SeeJ^fi/i Report on Migration, 1887, p. 51, note.)According to Professor Newton, however (Diet.Birds, p. 1042, footnote), those who have takenmuch trouble about the matter are unanimousin declaring against the existence of twospecies or even races. In other words,the difference observable in size and colouris due to individual variation and age, andnot to specific distinctness. It has often been asserted that the sexes ofthe woodcock may be distinguished by the ap-pearance of the first primary, in which, it is said,the outer web is of a uniform colour in thefemale, and has white or buffy-white zig-zagmarkings on a darker ground in the male.
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WOODCOCK THE ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF SPORT 545 This, however, is a fallacy. We have seen thefirst primary of a woodcock which had themarkings referred to for half its length only, theremaining half being quite uniform in colour.Thus no dependence can be placed on thischaracter, which varies not with sex, but withage ; nor can any constant character be pointedout as an invariable indication of sex. White and Pied Varieties—Occasionallythe variation of colour is carried to excess, andwoodcocks are met with having more or lesswhite about their plumage, giving them a piedappearance, while more rarely an albino or Kerry, Sligo, and Mayo are noted counties forwoodcock. In Mayo ten to thirty couple is afair days sport for a party of six guns, but fortycouple have been killed in a day in one ofLord Sligos woods. At Lissadel, in co. Sligo,150 couple were killed in three days by a partyof eight guns; and at the same place on anotheroccasion 338 cocks were bagged in six daysby seven guns. In co. Kerr

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