What are those black circular spots some four or five yards in diameter, so common in the woods of the Wrekin? They are places where wood has been burnt for charcoal. Always examine such spots, as you may find rare plants growing upon them which scarcely grow anywhere else. Here, for instance, is _Flammula carbonaria_ abundant. On these charcoal spots this fungus delights to grow, and I do not think you will find it elsewhere. Mr. Worthington Smith tells us it is a very rare British fungus; it is not mentioned in Mr. Berkley's 'Outlines of Fungology.' Here is a beautifully marked variety of _Polyporus perennis_, also very rare; it is tinted with rich sienna, chocolate, and black; it is found only in these charcoal rings. Let us go farther on. Look at that splendid bright, orange-yellow fungus growing amongst the moss in large tufts as it were. Each plant has a tender stem with short branches; what a number are growing together with roots or lower portions of the stem closely intertwined! This is _Clavaria fastigiata_. Here we meet with the sticky _Gomphidius viscidus_, and here with the handsome _Tricholoma scalpturatus_, and the lovely _T. rutilans_. I am obliged to use Latin names as there are no English ones. The ground here is covered with the small _Clitocyle fragrans_; it smells like newly-mown hay. And now we meet with various _Boleti_. Look at the under surface; you see it is riddled with numerous small holes, very unlike the gills of the mushroom and all agarics. We shall find _Boletus luteus_, _B. flavus_, _B. edulis_, _B. scaber_, the handsome but poisonous _B. luridus_. _Boletus edulis_ is, as its name imports, very good to eat and perfectly wholesome; so, too, is _B. scaber_ and _B. luteus_. Holloa! what bird has just fled before us? it is a woodcock evidently, and has probably lately arrived in this country from the south of Europe, though woodcocks occasionally reside here all through the year. The woodcock is a very handsome bird with its dark mottled brown plumage, long bill, and large, full, black eyes. "What do these birds feed upon?" asked Willy. You often hear people say "they live upon suction," and "do not eat any food." That I fancy is a common belief amongst sportsmen. It is, however, altogether a mistake; for these birds eat quantities of earthworms, as has frequently been witnessed. I will give an instance of this in the case of a woodcock kept in an aviary somewhere in Spain. "There was a fountain perpetually flowing to keep the ground moist and trees planted for the same purpose; fresh sod was brought to it, the richest in worms that could be found. In vain did the worms seek concealment; when the woodcock was hungry it discovered them by the smell, stuck its beak into the ground, but never higher than the nostrils, drew them out singly, and raising its bill into the air, it extended upon it the whole length of the worm, and in this way swallowed it smoothly without any action of the jaws.