53° STONE-CURLEW. 



nested in the Midlands and Worcestershire, as well as on the wolds 

 of Lincolnshire and East Yorkshire ; but in Northumberland it is of 

 very rare occurrence, and there are no records for Cumberland or 

 Lancashire ; while in Wales and west of Herefordshire it is almost 

 unknown. In Scotland one was obtained near St. Andrews in 

 January 1858, and one in Dumbartonshire in August 1897. In 

 Ireland only six or eight examples have been met with. 



Though only a straggler to Denmark, the Stone-Curlew breeds 

 sparingly in the northern districts of Germany, and is found in 

 summer throughout the temperate portions of Europe where the 

 localities are suitable ; while south of the Alps and the Carpathians 

 it is to a great extent resident, as it is in the Canaries and Madeira. 

 It inhabits North Africa, Egypt, and the coast of the Red Sea ; but 

 in Somali-land its representative is CE. ajfinis, closely related to the 

 widely-distributed South African CE. capensis. In Asia our bird has 

 been noticed as far north as the wastes near the Saisan Lake (below 

 the Altai range) ; and southward it is found in Afghanistan, India 

 (including Ceylon) and Burma. Other members of the genus are 

 found in various parts of the African, Indian and Australian regions, 

 as well as in the tropical portions of America. 



The eggs, usually 2 in number, are pale clay-brown, spotted and 

 streaked with ash-grey and umber: measurements 2*1 by i"5 in. 

 They are laid in a mere hollow scraped in the heath-land, or on the 

 sand, and often among scattered stones, which they much resemble ; 

 specimens from arid localities in the south of Europe, Africa, and 

 India being as a rule pale in colour and small in size. Eggs are 

 often found by the middle of April, and sometimes in September. 

 The male incubates during the day. Worms, slugs, and insects 

 — especially nocturnal beetles — are the principal diet, though the 

 Stone-Curlew also eats such small mammals as field-mice, as well as 

 frogs and reptiles. Its whistling cry is chiefly heard after dusk, 

 and on moonlight nights the birds are very noisy, but during the 

 day they are usually silent. 



The adult lird has the beak black at the point, greenish-yellow at 

 the base ; irides very large and golden-yellow ; feathers of the upper 

 parts pale brown, with dark streaks down the centres ; wing-coverts 

 with dull white tips which form two narrow bars, quills nearly black ; 

 throat and a streak below the eye white; neck and breast buff, 

 streaked with dark brown ; belly paler ; vent and under tail-coverts 

 almost white; legs and feet yellow. Length 16 in.; wing 9-25 in. 

 The sexes are alike in plumage; the young are rather duller in 

 colour than the adults, and have more bars on the tail-feathers. 



