CURLEW. 19 



CURLEW. 



COMMON CURLEW. WHAAP. WHITTERICK. 

 PLATE CLXIV. FIGURE II. 



Numenius arquala, PENNANT. 



Numenins major, STEPHENS. 



Scolopax arquala, MONTAGU. 



rMHE nest of this bird, if any be made in some 

 slight hollow, consists only of a little dry grass, 

 twigs, or leaves, or is placed in the middle of a tuft 

 of the former, among heather or rushes. 



The eggs, laid in April and May, are four in 

 number, and they differ much both in their ground 

 colour and the spots. They are of a pale dull green, 

 blotted all over with two shades of brown, and are 

 very large for the size of the bird. They are placed 

 'quatrefoil' in the nest, the narrow ends inwards. The 

 young run about almost as soon as hatched, but are 

 not able to fly for a considerable time. Until then 

 they are assiduously attended to by their parents. If 

 approached, they hide themselves among the inequal- 

 ities of the ground, and lie very close, the old birds 

 endeavouring the while to attract the enemy away. 



