78 Birds of Gambia. 



" Found in every swamp." (Rendall). The oommonest of 

 all the small waders, popu'arly known here as " snippets." 



Numenius arcuatus. CURLEW. 



Bancfe. Europe, east to Lake Baikal. Africa, India, South 

 China, Malay Peninsula in winter. (H.L.). 



N. plaeopus. WHIMBEEL. 



Banqe. Europe. Africa, India to Malava in winter. 

 (H.L). ■ ■ ' ' 



Our " Curlew " are nearly all really AMiimbrels, though among 

 tliem one not infrequently sees the larerer longer-billed true Curlew. 

 They abound w^herever suitable places occur, and these are common 

 ■enough. Their favourite haunts perhaps are the low mangrove 

 swamps, the " marigots " of the French, w^hich fringe the first forty 

 miles or so of the river, before the commencement of the closer 

 and more lofty mangrove growth of the next fifty miles. 



In such places one finds them in scores and in places where 

 they are not much disturbed may make a fair bag, although always 

 at the expense of much labour and tribulation in the black man- 

 grove mud. Where, however, tJiey are much shot at they are as 

 wary a bird as one can meet anywhere, and the shooting of even 

 a single one is a ra'-e and extremely chancy event. Their Mandingo 

 name is Kunun-kuko. 



{To he continued). 



Aviary Observations. 



By Wesley T. Page, F.Z.S., etc. 

 I may state at once that this article has been prompted 

 by correspondence with a friend, and has been somewhat hesi- 

 tatingly entered upon, as I do not love the usual avicultural 

 controversy and am not disposed to indulge those who do, but 

 a statement of methods and their results will be a great gain 

 to all concerned. At present there are supposed to be two 

 "schools," somewhat fancifully called the "old" and the "new." 

 I am not going to give a definition of either, nevertheless there 

 are two methods which stand clearly out as forming, shall we 

 say, the two extremes, viz.: — 



1. Boldly making a daily observation of a Inrd's nest 



and their progeny, and taking any risk there 

 may lie. for the sake of the information gained. 



2. Leaving the birds very much to themselves, glean- 



ing what data is possible by unobtrusively 

 observing them from a spy hole, distance, or 

 other means not directly apparent to the birds. 



