CURLEW 359 
Adult winter, male and female.—'Top of head, hind-neck, 
back, scapulars, and wings, light ash-brown; throat, front 
of neck, breast, and upper part of abdomen, light greyish ; 
lower part of abdomen and under tail-coverts, white. 
Immature, male and female-—Somewhat resembles the 
adult winter-plumage, but exhibits a warm reddish-buff 
shading about the neck and upper breast, and the back and 
wings are darker brown. 
Brak. Brownish ; shghtly upcurved towards the tip. 
Frrr. Olivaceous-green. 
TIrmDEs. Blackish-brown. 
AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 
ToraL LENGTH ... 16 in. Female a trifle larger. 
WING 5 3. Greater 
BEAK as EA ets Sa) ae 
TARSO-METATARSUS  3°5 ,, 
HEG... anes rae paso eee oalias 
Allied Species and Representative Forms.—The Eastern 
bird is larger than our own, but is not a distinct species, 
while L. hudsonica, a smaller species, with smoky-brown 
axillaries (which in our bird are white), inhabits North 
America. 
CURLEW. Nuimenius arquata (Linneus). 
Coloured Figures.—Gould, ‘ Birds of Great Britain,’ vol. iv, pl. 
48; Dresser, ‘ Birds of Europe,’ vol. viii, pl. 578; Lilford, 
‘Coloured Figures,’ vol. v, pl. 57. 
The Curlew is one of the most plentiful of shore-birds. 
Vast numbers, mainly migrants from higher latitudes, con- 
gregate on our large estuarine mud-flats in autumn (Sep- 
tember to November), many remaining until the following 
spring. Of these, a large proportion are immature, and as 
they do not breed until the completion of their second year, 
