10'*^ Stone Curlew 



near to the Bustard ; they have other affinities with the true Plovers 

 between whom and the Bustards they form a connerting Hnk. 



Of species there are nine in all, but of these only one (our own 

 bird, CE. crepitans) is Palaearctic, the remainder being widely 

 distributed over the remaining zoographical regions of the world, 

 with the exception of the Nearctic. 



They are essentially birds of the Steppe — like the Bustard, 

 frequenting open, treeless wastes. In this genus, the large, 

 prcjmincnt. yellow eyes are very characteristic, evidencing their 

 crepuscular habits. They feed mostly at night and remain hidden 

 or at rest during the day. At the same time, if disturbed, they seem 

 but little inconvenienced by the brightest sunshine, and their vision 

 by day is remarkably acute, at least that observation is true of our 

 own bird. 



The Stone Curlew is, to my mind, one of the most interesting 

 British birds, and it is unhappily one of those species which is in 

 some danger of extinction at no distant date. The generic name, 

 (Edicnemus is derived from the Greek otSr^^a, " a swelling," 

 and Ki^rjjxrj, " a leg," and thus furnishes one of the vulgar 

 names in use in this country : the 'f hick-knee or Thick-kneed Plover. 



In the eastern counties, it is commonly called the Norfolk 

 Plover ; Great Plover, Stone Plover, and Thick-kneed Bustard are 

 less familiar names. Of local dialect names, I know only 'two ; 

 in Norfolk, Stevenson says the bird is locally known as " Culoo " 

 (this seems to be a mere mispronunciation of Curlew), while in my 

 own part of Suffolk, the bird is frequently called the " Shriek Owl." 



The Stone Curlew is one of the earhest spring migrants to arrive 

 on our coasts. M}^ notes for the last 20 years show that it commonly 

 makes its appearance in the last days of March. The first summer 

 visitor is the Wheatear ; it can generally be met with about March 

 .>oth, and during the following ten days, one may expect to see or 

 hear the Wryneck, Redstart, Chiff Chaff, Willow Wren and Stone 

 Curlew ; the earliest date I have for the latter bird is March 25th 



(ic^93)- 



I he first arrivals are generally solitary, and are, I should conclude, 



males, but as I have never shot at them at that time, I have had 

 no means of verifying the supposition. They very soon make their 

 presence known by their loud nocturnal cries. It is commonly 

 said that they only call after sundown, but this is by no means an 

 absolute rule ; a bird disturbed in the day at this time of the year 

 will often fly off uttering the most dismal noises. Later in the year, 

 they cry much less in the day, even if disturbed. 



The newly-arrived solitary bird is naturally anxious to find 

 others of its own kind. If he is a male, as I believe to be the case, 

 he is even more anxious to find a mate. These are probably the 

 reasons for the frequency of the call note at this time of the year. 

 Once the business of nesting has begun, they are remarkably silent 

 by day. 



