94 BRITISH SEA BIRDS. 
its young. These are on the marshy moors, 
beside the pools, at no great distance from the 
sea. The nest, usually made on the ground, (in 
the valley of the Petchora it has been found in a 
hassock of coarse grass a foot or more above it), 
is a mere hollow lined with a few scraps of dead 
grass and rush. The four eggs are buff of various 
shades, or pale olive, spotted and blotched with 
amber and blackish-brown, pale brown and gray. 
As previously remarked the male bird incubates 
them. When disturbed at its breeding grounds, the 
Red-necked Phalarope slips off the nest and takes 
refuge in the water, manifesting little concern for 
its safety. As soon as the young are sufficiently 
matured, they and their parents resort to the sea, 
moving southwards as autumn advances, and for the 
most part keeping to the water until another 
nesting season comes round. 
CURLEW. 
This species, (Vumenzus arquata), is not only 
the largest Limicoline bird that frequents the coast, 
but also one of the best known. There are few 
parts of the shore during autumn and winter where 
an odd Curlew cannot be found, whilst in some 
localities it may be classed as absolutely common. 
The Curlew is another of those species that 
present little difference between summer and 
winter plumage, and yet the haunts it selects in 
summer differ very considerably from those it 
SS 
