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BRITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



YOUNG CURLEW. 



CURLEW, COMMON. 



(Numenius arquata.) 

 Order LIMICOL.E ; Family SCOLOPACID^: (SNIPES). 



Description of Parent Birds. 

 Length varying from 

 twenty - one to twenty - two 

 inches. Bill very long, slender, 

 curved downwards, and dark 

 brown, paler at the base of 

 the under mandible. Irides 

 hazel. Head, neck, upper 

 part of back, scapulars, and 

 wing-coverts pale brown, with 

 a dark brown streak in the 

 centre of each feather. Wing- 

 quills black, spotted and 

 marked with light brown on the inner webs. 

 Lower back and rump white, marked by a few 

 dusky spots. Upper tail-coverts white, marked 

 with dark brown ; tail-feathers barred with dull 

 yellowish- white and dark brown. Chin white ; 

 throat and upper part of breast very pale brown, 

 marked with dark brown streaks ; lower part of 

 breast, belly, and vent under tail-coverts white, 

 spotted on the two first, with blackish-brown and 

 a dusky streak or two on the latter. Legs long, 

 and, like the toes, bluish-grey in colour. 



The female is similar in plumage, but is larger, 

 sometimes even to the extent of five inches in length. 

 Situation and Locality. On the ground amongst 

 long, coarse grass, tufts of rushes and heath ; some- 

 times quite exposed on bare ground. On rough, 

 undrained pasture lands, moors, and uplands in the 



