BAY-BIRDS. 297 



white. Adult with the upper part of the head deep 

 brown, with a central and two lateral lines of 

 whitish ; a brown line from the bill to the eye, and 

 another behind the eye ; neck all round, pale yel- 

 lowish-grey, longitudinally streaked with brown, ex- 

 cepting the upper part of the throat, which is grey- 

 ish-white; upper parts in general blackish-brown, 

 marked with numerous spots of brownish-white, 

 there being several along the margins of each 

 feather ; wings and rump somewhat lighter ; upper 

 tail-coverts and tail barred with dark-brown and 

 olivaceous grey ; primaries and their coverts black- 

 ish-brown, all with transverse yellowish-grey mark- 

 ings on the inner web ; the shaft of the first quill, 

 white of the rest, brown ; breast and abdomen 

 greyish-white, the sides tinged with cream color, 

 and barred with greyish-brown ; bill rather more 

 than twice the length of the head, of a brownish- 

 black color at the base of the lower mandible, flesh 

 colored. Length, eighteen inches; wing, nine and 

 a half." Giraud. 



SICKLE BILL CURLEW. 



Long-billed Curlew. 

 Numenius Longirostris, Wils. 



The finest, largest, most graceful, and elegant of 

 all the bay-birds is the magnificent sickle-bill ; asso- 

 ciating in large flecks, and with a spread of wings 

 of little less than three feet, when it approaches the 

 stand, the sportsman's heart palpitates with excite- 



