LIMICOL.i:— C'lIAIlADIIIII) i: 285 



bars, much more white on wing coverts and quills ; beneath rufous 

 clay colour, barred black on breast ; abdomen white. (^ Wing 

 202-2I2. Tarsus 73-83. Bill 80-110. ? larger. Wing 217-230. 

 Tarsus 85-93. Bill to 126 (H.). In winter: above uniform grey 

 brown, also throat and foreneck below, rest of underparts white. 

 Young are like winter adults, but darker brown above, with rufous 

 margins. 



Breeds. — ^Iceland, Faroes, Belgium, Holland, Baltic Countries, 

 Poland, Hungary, S. Russia north to Moscow, also W. Siberia. 

 Wmters British Isles (few), Mediterranean, N. Africa and W. Asia. 



NUMENIUS. 

 Bill very long and much decurved; legs long, slender, 

 toes webbed at base ; frequent moors and uplands in 

 breeding season, chiefly coasts in winter; nest in depression 

 in ground, eggs 4, pyriform, pale or dull olivaceous grey 

 spotted and blotched with dark or light purplish brown. 



Numenius arquatus arquatus (L.). Curlew. Fr. 

 Courlis ; Ger. Grosser Brachvogel ; Ital. Chiurlo ; Swed. Storspof. 



$ $ Above dark brown with paler margins, almost white on 

 wing coverts and crown ; beneath paler brown streaked dark 

 brown ; lower back and rump while, streaked brown in some, 

 upper tail coverts and tail white with brown bars ; axillaries 

 white barred brown. Bill black, reddish at base below. Legs and 

 feet bluish grey. Wing 290-318. Tarsus 78-82. Bill 1 13-132. 



Breeds. — Across Europe from IJritish Isles (rare in S. England) 

 and Belgium to Switzerland, Austria, Dobrudscha and Perm 

 in Russia north almost to Arctic Circle. Winters throughout 

 C. and S. Europe and Africa ; and in east to Persian Gulf. 

 Occasional visitor to Iceland, Faroes, Azores, Madeira, Canaries. 



N. arquatus lineatus Cuvier. Feather edges of upper parts 

 lighter ; streaks on underparts narrower ; axillaries pure white 

 or white with dark shaft streaks near tip. Bill sometimes much 

 longer, even to 184 (H.). 



/>Vr^//y. — Siberia, but limits to west not yet defined. Migrates ; 

 occurs at Orenburg (E. Russia) on passage ; winters in S. Asia 

 and Isles of Indian Ocean south to Madagascar; has occurred 

 in Abysiinia and even in W. Africa in winter. 



