THE WADERS. 275 



ujj-curved, and the toes are partly united by a membrane, 

 the centre one having a comb-like edge. The double note 

 is soft. 



Though now only a visitor on migration to the east side 



of England, rarer in Scotland and Ireland, the Black- 



§ Black- tailed God wit formerly bred in the fens. A 



tailed slightly larger bird than the preceding, it is 



distinguished by the black tail and white 



bars on the wing. 



The Curlew is a resident in these islands, but it should 

 be borne in mind that its migrations within their limits 

 are considerable, and it is not to be found 

 in the same district all the year round. Like 

 the next bird, the curlew is consj^icuous by reason of its 

 long down-curved bill ; the rump is also white, and the 

 underparts are profusely streaked with dark brown. This 

 bird is a great trouble in winter to the shore-shooter, for 

 it is easily alarmed, and its shrill note is enough to alarm 

 everything else within range. So rapid is the flight of 

 this bird with the wind behind it, that one has been 

 known to go through a J^-inch plate-glass window. The 

 curlew breeds in almost every part of these islands, except 

 in the south-east of England and the Outer Hebrides. It 

 visits the latter, however, in winter. Eggs, 4, 2 ^ inches ; 

 greenish-brown, with dark blotches. 



The Whimbrel, "May bird," or "Titterel," is a visitor 

 on migration to the mainland of these islands, breeding 



§"Whim- only in some of the Scottish isles, as in the 

 brel. Orkneys and Shetlands, and one or two spots 

 in the Outer Hebrides. It is a much smaller bird than 

 the curlew, to which it, however, bears strong resemblance, 

 differing chiefly in the presence of a whitish stripe over 

 the eye. As in the case of the curlew, the female is the 

 larger bird. I have also fancied that I observed less order 



