CURLEW 365 
south-east of England it occurs chiefly on migration. In 
Scotland and Iveland it nests freely on the great bogs and 
mountain-ranges. 
Geographical distribution.—Abroad, this species breeds 
over the greater part of Northern Europe (omitting Iceland 
and the Faroes, where its near ally the Whimbrel breeds 
numerously), also in Germany, Denmark, Holland, Poland, 
and Northern France. Eastward, with slight racial differ- 
ences, it 1s found nesting in the western section of Northern 
and ''emperate Asia. 
During the southern migration in autumn and winter, 
the Curlew is common over the European Continent, reach- 
ing South Africa and the Islands off the west coast. Hast- 
ward it visits India in winter. 
DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS. 
PLUMAGE.’ Adult male nuptial.—Top of head, nape and 
sides of neck, back, scapulars, wings, and breast, barred and 
variegated with dusky-brown and light yellowish-brown ; 
lower back, white, sparsely streaked with black; upper 
tail-coverts, also white, marked with dark streaks ; tail, 
transversely barred with dark brown and yellowish-white ; 
primaries, blackish-brown, with light shafts, and whitish 
markings on the inner webs; chin and throat, whitish ; 
cheeks and front of neck, pale greyish-brown with darker 
streaks ; abdomen, white; under tail-coverts, white, thinly 
streaked with dark brown; flanks, variegated like the breast ; 
over the eye is an ill-defined greyish stripe. 
Adult female nuptial.—Similar to the male plumage. 
Adult winter, male and female.—Resembles the nuptial 
plumage, but the throat, neck, breast, and abdomen, are 
much whiter, and the striping and spotting are less pro- 
nounced. 
Immature, male and female.—lLike the Whimbrel, the 
plumage of the immature bird is more tawny in shade and 
more chequered and variegated in appearance than that of 
the adult, which it otherwise resembles. The tail-feathers 
are beautifully and evenly barred with blackish-brown and 
dull white. 
' Several partial and entire albinos are on record, 
