156 BIRDS OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE. 



alike, except that the female is rather bigo^er than her mate. 

 Resident throucrhout the year in England, Scotland, and 

 Ireland, their numbers are augmented by fresh arrivals 

 during the winter. The eggs, deposited in some marshy 

 spot, are greenish white, spotted with red and brown ; they 

 are four in number, and the young, as happens with all 

 birds of this class, run about soon after being hatched. 



Food — insects, worms, etc. 



Bar-Tailed Godwit. — This handsome species is grey 

 above, and deep red on the lower parts of the body ; the 

 rump, however, is white, sparsely spotted with black ; the 

 neck, back, and wings have black centres to the feathers ; 

 a bluish bar crosses the wing ; the bill is yellow, with a 

 dark tip, and the legs and feet are greenish grey ; short 

 hind toe. 



It moves north in April, and returns in the autumn when 

 the breeding season is over. 



The food is worms, small molluscs, etc. It is usually 

 found on the sands, but retires to adjacent land during 

 high water. 



Black-Tailed Godwit. — This bird diH'ers a good deal 

 from the last. It is brown on the breast, and greyish 

 white on the rump and under tail coverts ; the back is 

 brown, every feather is centred with black, and numerous 

 crescentic black lines mark the breast and belly ; the bill is 

 yellow, with dark tip, and the legs and feet dark greenish 

 grey. Length, 1 foot 4 inches. Food the same as the 

 preceding sjiecies. 



Curlew. — General colour grey above, and white on the 

 under parts ; in both situations are numerous black and 

 grey spots and lines. Sexes alike in appearance, but the 

 female is much the larger of the two, her length being 2 

 feet 1 inch, while that of the male is only 22 inches. It is 

 common on moois, heaths, etc., in all three divisions of the 



