g feathers of the ruff began to grow; and this agrees with
what I have seen of the Ruff in confinement; the change of colour in the
feathers of the body begins before the ruff makes its appearance.

Professor Ansted includes the Ruff in his list, and only marks it as
occurring in Guernsey. There is no specimen in the Museum at present.

118. WOODCOCK. _Scolopax rusticola_, Linnaeus. French, "Becasse
ordinaire."--The Woodcock is a regular and tolerably common autumnal
visitant to all the Islands, arriving and departing about the same time
as in England,--none, however, remaining to breed, as is so frequently
the case with us. There might be some good cock shooting in the Islands
if the Woodcocks were the least preserved, but as soon as one is heard
of every person in the Island who can beg, borrow, or steal a gun and
some powder and shot is out long before daylight, waiting for the first
shot at the unfortunate Woodcock as soon as there should be sufficient
daylight. In fact, such a scramble is there for a chance at a Woodcock
that a friend of mine told me he got up long before daylight one morning
and went to a favourite spot to begin at; thinking to be first on the
ground, he sat on a gate close by waiting for daylight; but so far from
his being the first, he found, as it got light, three other people, all
waiting, like himself, to begin as soon as it was light enough, each
thinking he was going to be first and have it all his own way with the
cocks. Besides the gun, another mode of capturing the Woodcocks used
till very lately to be, and perhaps still is, practised at Woodlands and
some other places where practicable in Guernsey. Nets are set across
open paths between the trees, generally Ilex, through which the
Woodcocks take their flight when going out "roading," as it is
called--that is, when on their evening excursion for food; into these
nets the Woodcocks fly and become easy victims.

Professor Ansted includes the Woodcock in his list, but only marks it as
occurring in Guernsey and Sark. There is one specimen in the Museum.

119. SOLITARY SNIPE. _Scolopax major_, Gmelin. French, "Grande
becassine."--I have never been fortunate enough to shoot a Solitary
Snipe myself in the Channel Islands, neither have I seen one at any of
the bird-stuffers; but that is not very likely, as the shooter of a
Solitary Snipe only congratulates himself on having killed a fine big
Snipe, and carries it off for dinner, but, from