CURLEW AND STONE CURLEW 



33 



Eggs. — Four. Greenish-dun to olive-green, blotched with dark 



brown and dark shades of green. 

 Food. — Insects, worms, and perhaps 



tender shoots of plants in Summer ; 



Crustacea, marine worms and in- 

 sects in Winter. 

 Voice. — A wild, weird cry. 

 Chief Features. — The bird has a long, 



curved beak and legs; it is a 



solitary species, inhabiting desolate 



places, where its weird note is in 



keeping with the surroundings. It 



is a larger bird than its near relative, 



the Whimbrel. 

 Plumage. — Reddish-ash mottled with 



dusky spots; almost white belly, 



with dusky streaks ; white rump and 



tail - coverts ; tail - feathers barred 



with dark brown. Length. — The female is the larger of the 



two, measuring twenty -one to twenty -six inches. 



Fig. 9. 



Head and Foot of 

 Curlew. 



CURLEW, STONE ((Edicnemus scolopax) 



Local Names. — Common Thick-Knee, Great Plover, Land Curlew, 

 Night Hawk, Norfolk Plover, Stone Plover, Thick- Knee, Thick- 

 Kneed Bustard, Whistling Plover. 



Haunt. — Waste commons, heaths, and downs. 



Nesting Period. — May and June. 



Site of Nest. — On the ground. 



Materials Used. — Rarely any, the eggs being laid on the bare ground. 

 A few bents may sometimes be used. 



Eggs. — Two. Stone-colour in various pale shades, fairly closely 

 spotted, streaked, or marbled with dark brown. 



Food. — Insects, worms, and snails. 



Voice. — A wild, loud, clear-ringing cry uttered at night. 



Chief Features. — Although some of these birds are said to be resident, 

 the great majority are Migrants, reaching our shores from 

 March to May. The bird has large eyes, long legs with thick 

 knees, and can run very fast. It skulks when approached, and 

 rarely takes to flight. It is largely protected by its surround- 

 ings. The young birds squat closely, and thus escape detection. 

 Except in a few favoured localities this is a rare species. It 

 is quite different in appearance to the Common Curlew. 



Plumage. — The sexes are similar, the beak being black, yellowish at 

 the base; hides, orbits, legs, and feet yellow; pale brown 



