CURLEW 365 
irregular line; just before alighting they usually cluster 
close together. 
Voice.—The whistle of a startled Curlew, so piercing 
when uttered close by, is rendered clear and melodious 
when heard in the distance. It appeals at once to our love 
of wild natural scenes ; with it we associate the drear and 
lonely slob-lands, where the hardy feathered denizens brave 
the terrors of wind and wave. The mournful cry of the 
Curlew brings back to our memory the long cold nights of 
winter, when we seek refuge in our cosy homes, artificially 
warmed and lighted, while the Curlew and its companions 
are risking the perils of a vast migratory flight over land 
and sea. 
No shore-bird possesses a voice so pathetic, and at the 
same time so markedly characteristic. The two syllables 
sound as coir-léé or cotir-lii, from which this species has aptly 
derived its name.’ But in addition the Curlew produces 
another note, rather harsh and croaking, and yet not 
altogether unpleasant. It is generally heard when the 
flocks are feeding or taking short flights, and seems to 
denote satisfaction rather than alarm. 
Food.—On the beach, sand-worms, crabs, shrimps, and 
small shell-fish, are largely eaten; worms, insects, and 
berries, form the diet at the breeding-grounds. The late 
Mr. E. Williams has shown me dissections of the mouth 
and gullet stained with blackberry juice, and the late Mr. 
Glennon, of Dublin, found the stomach of a Curlew filled 
with blackberries, the juice of which stained the intestine 
(Watters, ‘ Birds of Ireland,’ p. 144). Sir R. Payne-Gallwey 
has detected cockles swallowed whole, as well as a small 
heath-snail (Helix ericetorum). I have found fine grass- 
blades and roots in the gizzard of immature birds shot in 
September. 
" Nest.—During March and early April, pairs of Curlews 
may be met with at their nesting-quarters on exten- 
sive bogs and elevated moor-lands in our Isles. For some 
weeks later in the spring, flocks of considerable size, 
pushing further north to breed, may be seen passing along 
our sea-board. The nest, which is nothing more than a 
shght hollow scraped in the ground, is frequently situated 
on the grass-covered portions of bog-lands or on the hill- 
‘There is a peculiar turn in the Curlew’s whistle, which very few 
persons can properly imitate. 
