CURLEW. 173 



quite distinct from and much more musical than that of the 

 Bar-tail ; it is more like the triple whistle of the Redshank. 



The summer dress is reddish brown mottled with black on 

 the upper parts ; the lower back is black, and the upper tail- 

 coverts and base of the tail are white, but the distal portion of 

 the tail feathers is crossed by a single broad black band. The 

 under parts are reddish brown or bay on the breast, and the 

 flanks and abdomen are whitish with bars of black and brown. 

 In winter the bird is ashy brown above and whiter below, the 

 breast and neck being grey. Young are not unlike the adult in 

 summer on their upper parts, but the under parts are paler, buff 

 instead of bay. The bill is pinkish, darker towards the tip, the 

 legs greenish black, and the irides dark brown. Length, 16 to 

 18 ins. Wing, 9 ins. Tarsus, 3'8 ins. 



Curlew. Numenius arquata (Linn.). 



The Curlew (Plate 73) has a wide range in northern and 

 central Europe and Western Asia, and in winter reaches South 

 Africa and southern Asia. In the British Isles it is a moorland 

 resident in all parts, though only a few scattered pairs nest in 

 southern counties. On all coasts it abounds as a passage 

 migrant, a winter visitor, and summer bird. 



The long, curved bill, which varies from four to seven inches 

 in length, the bulky brown body, and the wild whistle, make 

 the Curlew a familiar shore bird ; the smaller Whimbrel, itself 

 a curlew, has a much shorter bill and distinctive dark streaks 

 on its crown. At all seasons suitable feeding grounds are 

 frequented, and as the bird is catholic in its tastes it may be 

 seen amongst rocks as well as on mud or sand. It is as well 

 known to the shepherd as to the fisherman, for in spring and 

 early summer its haunts are the moors, often at a great distance 

 from the coast. Early in March the resident birds repair to 

 the hills, leaving behind immature and non-breeding individuals 



