274 THE COMMON CURLEW 
banks of a tidal river where the receding water lays bare extensive 
banks of soft ooze—are most probably quite familiar with the note 
of the Curlew, however ignorant they may be of the form or name 
of the bird from which it proceeds. A loud whistle of two syllables, 
which may be heard for more than a mile, bearing a not over-fanciful 
resemblance to the name of the bird, answered by a similar cry, 
mellowed by distance into a pleasant sound—wild, but in perfect 
harmony with the character of the scene—announces the fact 
that a party of Curlews have discovered that the ebb-tide is well 
advanced, and that their feeding-ground is uncovered. The stroller, 
if quietly disposed, may chance to get a sight of the birds themselves 
as they arrive in small flocks from the inland meadows ; and though 
they will probably be too cautious to venture within an unsafe 
distance, they will most likely come quite close enough to be dis- 
criminated. Not the merest novice could mistake them for Gulls ; 
for not only is their flight of a different character, but the bill, 
which is thick enough to be distinguished at a considerable distance, 
is disproportionately long, and is curved to a remarkable degree. 
Curlews are in the habit of selecting as their feeding-ground those 
portions of the shore which most abound in worms and small crus- 
taceous animals ; these they either pick up and, as it were, coax 
from the tip to the base of the beak, or, thrusting their long bills 
into the mud, draw out the worms, which they dispose of in like 
manner. When the sands or ooze are covered, they withdraw 
from the shore, and either retire to the adjoining marshes or pools, 
or pace about the meadows, picking up worms, snails, and insects. 
Hay-fields, before the grass is cut, are favourite resorts, especially 
in the North ; and, in districts where there are meadows adjoining 
an estuary, they are in the habit of changing the one for the other 
at every ebb and flow of the tide. From the middle of autumn 
till the early spring Curlews are, for the most part, seaside birds, 
frequenting, more or less, all the coast ; but at the approach of the 
breeding season they repair inland, and resort to heaths, damp 
meadows, and barren hills. Here a shallow nest is made on the 
ground, composed of bents, rushes, and twigs of heath, loosely put 
together. The eggs, which are very large, are four in number. 
During the period of incubation the male keeps about the neigh- 
bourhood, but is scarcely less wary than at other seasons. The 
female, if disturbed, endeavours to lure away the intruder from 
her dwelling by the artifice, common in the tribe, of pretending to 
be disabled ; and great anxiety is shown by both male and female 
if any one approaches the spot where the young lie concealed. 
The latter are able to run almost immediately after they are 
hatched, but some weeks elapse before they are fledged. It seems 
probable that an unusually long time elapses before they attain 
their full size, for the dimensions of different individuals vary to 
a remarkable degree. Eight or nine specimens were brought to 
