512 COMMON CURLEW. 



mcnt is not so confined in extent as is supposed ; that the 

 winter visiters of the coast of Northumberland do not satisfy 

 the migrative impulse by a flight of a few miles into the in- 

 terior ; but that these retire to the Highlands, or northern 

 parts of Scotland and its isles, and many visit high northern 

 latitudes to be hereafter mentioned, thus giving place upon 

 the moors and open grounds of the border counties to those 

 birds which have wintered in the southern parts of the king- 

 dom. Mr. Thompson says the Curlew breeds in some of the 

 large bogs of Ireland. Mr. Eyton says it breeds near Holy- 

 head, and on Whixan moss in Shropshire. Mr. Couch, in his 

 Cornish Fauna, says some few breed on the high grounds in 

 Cornwall. Montagu states that they bred in his time on the 

 high hills of Exmoor ; and Mr. Bellamy considers that this 

 bird now breeds on Dartmoor. Montagu also mentions that 

 he had taken the young on the mountains of Northumberland 

 and in the low swampy grounds of the Isle of Mull in Scot- 

 land. Mr. Selby mentions the Curlew as very abundant 

 during the breeding season in all the central parts of the 

 county of Sutherland, where heath and marshy tracts prevail. 

 Mr. Dunn says the Curlew is rather plentiful in Orkney and 

 Shetland, resorting to the most retired parts of mossy hills, 

 in which situation it lays its eggs, procuring its food from the 

 muddy banks of lakes. Throughout Scotland and its isles 

 the CurlcAv is called a Whaap, or Whaup, which in Jamie- 

 son's Scottish Dictionary is said to be a name for a goblin, 

 supposed to go about under the eaves of houses after night- 

 fall, having a long beak. Sir Walter Scott refers to this 

 supposed connection of a long beak with a suspicious charac- 

 ter in his Black Dwarf (chap, ii.), in a dialogue between 

 Hobbie Elliott and Earns-clifl^, in the evening on Muckle- 

 stane moor : the former says, " what need I care for the 

 Mucklestane Moor ony mair than ye do yoursel, Earns-clifF? 

 to be sure they say there's a sort o' worricows and lang 



