2$6 SKETCHES OF BIRD LIFE. 



The note of the Curlew is by far the loudest 

 uttered by any of our grallatorial birds. That ob- 

 servant naturalist William Thompson says, in his 

 Natural History of Ireland (''Birds," vol. ii. p. 195): 

 " It will perhaps be scarcely credited that it can be 

 heard at the distance of nearly three English miles ; 

 yet under peculiar circumstances such is the case. 

 I have heard it so on calm moonlight nights when 

 at the extremity of the bay at Holy wood Warren, 

 awaiting the flight of these birds from Harrison's 

 Bay and Conswater, whence the flowing tide would 

 drive them from particular banks respectively two 

 and three miles distant from any station. The call 

 from the first-named locality sounded quite near, 

 and from the latter distinct, though much more 

 faintly ; the state of the tide at the time evincing 

 with certainty that all the banks except the two 

 alluded two were covered too deeply with water for 

 the birds to be on them. Shore-shooters are well 

 aware of this circumstance." 



Besides its usual cry of " Cou-r-lieu, cour-lieu," 

 there is another which sounds like " wha-up ; " from 

 which latter cry the bird in Scotland has derived the 

 name of " Whaup ; " and in the spring of the year, 



