628 COMMON CURLEW. 



as well as on some of the wastes of Brittany. Immense flights cross 

 Heligoland on migration, and the species is well known on passage 

 throughout Central and Southern Europe, ranging as far west as the 

 Canaries and Azores ; while it winters in Africa from the Medi- 

 terranean to Damara-land and Natal, and visits Madagascar. As 

 regards Asia, the birds found between the Caspian and Lake Baikal 

 exhibit more white on the rump and axillaries than our western 

 form, though they intergrade with it ; and these visit the Indian 

 region in winter. Eastern Siberia is inhabited by iV. cyanopus — ■ 

 characterized by a broadly-barred rump — which migrates to 

 Australia. The American representative of our bird is the large 

 N. longirostris, with rufous axillaries. In the Mediterranean basin 

 and Southern Russia, wandering to Holland, we find N. tenuirostris, 

 no larger than the Whimbrel, with which it has been confounded : 

 though quite unnecessarily, for it has a striated crown and its 

 axillaries are pure white. 



The shallow nest is on bare ground or in grass-pasture, or 

 among the stems of bog-myrtle and heather ; and the 4 large pear- 

 shaped eggs, which are olive-green blotched with brown, and measure 

 about 275 by i"g in., have been found near Carlisle early in April, 

 while on the high moors of Northumberland incubation — in which 

 both sexes take part — is not infrequent by the end of that month. 

 Mr. Abel Chapman has remarked that for the first few days the 

 young seldom go far from the nest. As long as they remain on the 

 moors and pastures their diet consists of berries, worms, snails, spiders, 

 insects &c., and in early autumn the birds are excellent for the table ; 

 but after they have resorted to the sea-shore and fed on crustaceans 

 and marine animals they become unpalatable. The Curlew has 

 often been seen to perch on tall trees \ its flight is rapid, and a wedge- 

 shaped formation is assumed by flocks. It is not only remark- 

 ably wary, but seems to take pleasure in alarming every living 

 creature within hearing of its shrill cour-lie ; while it has also a 

 peculiar rippling and not unpleasant note. 



The adult in spring-plumage has the feathers of the crown and 

 upper parts pale brown, with darker central streaks ; rump and 

 upper tail-coverts white, the latter streaked with dark brown 

 towards their tips; tail-feathers barred with dark brown and dull 

 white ; under-parts pale brown — nearly white on the belly — streaked 

 with dark brown. The female is the larger bird and has the longer 

 bill. Length 21-26 in. (bill 47 to 6), wing ii*5 to 12-25 i"- I^i 

 winter the under-parts are almost white ; in the young they are 

 washed with buff. The Curlew does not breed until its second spring. 



