717 



SCOLOPACID^E. 



SCOLOPACIDJE. 



718 



mandible awl-shaped. Nostrils basal, lateral, oval, prominent, sur- 

 rounded with a membrane ; feet moderate, slender, tarsi compressed ; 

 three toes before and one behind ; the anterior toes united up to the 

 first joint, the rest of them furnished with festooned or lobated 

 membranes dentilated on the edges ; hind toe without a membrane, 

 articulated on the inner side. Wings moderate, first and second quills 

 longest. (Temm.) 



P. platyrhynchua, the Gray Phalarope. Bill wide, depressed, flat- 

 tened at the base ; tail long, very much rounded. 



The male and female in winter plumage are the Pkalaropw lobatus 

 of Latham ; Tringa Mala, Linn. ; Phalarope a Festons Dentele's, Buff. ; 

 Le Phalarope Gris, Cuv. ; and Gray Coot-Footed Tringa, Edwards. 



Gray Phalarope (Phalaropus ptatyrhynchui], in Winter Plumage. 



The young before the moult are the Gray Phalarope of Latham. 

 The summer or nuptial plumage is the Tringa Fidicaria of Brunnich; 

 Phalaropui rufiu of Bechstein ; Tringa hybertorea of Linnaeus ; Le 

 Phalarope Rouge of Buffon and Cuvier; Phalarope Roussatre of 

 Brisson ; Red Coot-Footed Tringa of Edwards. This bird is found 

 within the arctic circle ; the eastern parts of the north of Europe ; 

 on the Caspian Sea ; and in America. It is rare in Switzerland, on 

 the Lake of Geneva ; with us it is a winter visitor. It appears to be 

 spread generally from the northern towards the intertropical regions. 



Cray Phalaropo (Phalaroput platyrhynchui), in Summer Plumage. 



Insects or crustaceans principally, which live on the surface of tho 

 water, form the principal food of the Gray Phalarope, and it rarely 

 seeks for its nourishment on the banks or on land. 



The eggs are greenish-ash, spotted and dotted with black. 



Numcnius. Bill long, slender, curved, compressed, hard at the point, 

 and subobtuse ; upper mandible exceeding the lower, rounded towards 

 the end, canaliculated for three-fourths of its length ; nostrils lateral, 

 linear, pierced in the canaliculation ; face feathered, space between 

 the eye and the bill covered with feathers. Feet slender, naked above 

 the knee; three toes before and one behind, which last is articulated 

 on the tarsus and touches the ground, the anterior toes united up to 

 the first joint by a membrane. Wings moderate ; first quill longest. 



If. aryuatia, the Curlew. It is the Courtis of the French ; Ciarlotto, 

 Ciarlotto Spadone, and Chinrle Maggiore of the Italians; Heel-Spovo 

 of the Danes ; L)er Grouse Krumschuiiblichte Schnepfe and Keilhacke 

 of the Germans ; and Gylfinhr of the Welsh. 



The male has the whole plumage bright ash-colour, with longi- 

 tudinal brown spots on the head and breast, some of the feathers ot 

 those parts clouded with red ; belly white, with longitudinal spots ; 

 feathers of the back and scapulars black in the middle and bordered 

 with red ; tail whitish ash, striped with brown bands disposed trans- 

 Tersely ; upper mandiUe blackish-brown ; the lower mandible flesh- 

 colour; iris brown ; feet deep ash ; length two feet and upwards. The 

 female with the tints more ash-coloured ; the red which borders the 

 feathers of the back and scapulars loss pure. 



It is equally diffused from the sultry portion of the torrid zone to 



the frozen countries of the north : the islands of the Pacific Ocean, 

 particularly Australia, are not devoid of its presence, and we also 

 possess examples from China, Nepaul, &c. (Gould, ' Birds of Europe.') 

 Dr. Andrew Smith brought individuals from South Africa. 



Curlew (ffammmi arquatui). 



The food of this well-known and wary bird, which in Scotland is 

 called the Whaup, consists of earth-worms, slugs, small testaceans, 

 and insects. 



The nest, which consists of a few dried leaves, &c., carelessly put 

 together, is placed among rushes or long grass and heath ; Temminck 

 says, often in the downs which border the sea. The egg, which is 

 large (2 inches 7 lines long, 1 inch 11 lines broad), is olive-green, 

 blotched, and spotted with darker green and deep-brown. It breeds 

 in these islands. 



N. plueopm, Auct., Scolopax phteopus, Linn. ; genus Pliaopus, Cuv. 

 This is Le Petit Courlis, or Corn-lieu, of the French ; Chiurlo Piccolo, 

 Chiurlo Minore, and Mengotto, of the Italians; Regen Brachvogel, 

 Kleine Art Braclivogel, Regenvogel, and Kleiner Gossier, of the Ger- 

 mans ; De Kleine of Kegenwulp of the Netherlanders ; Mellum-Spove 

 of the Danes; Smaae Spue of the Norwegians; Whimbrel, Curlew- 

 Knot, Curlew-Jack, Jack-Curlew, Half-Curlew, Titterel, Chikerel, and 

 Tang- Whaup of the English ; and Coeg Ylfmhir of tho Welsh. 



All the plumage bright ash-colour ; longitudinal brown spots on ths 

 neck and breast ; on the middle of the head a longitudinal band of 

 yellowish-white, with another twice as wide and brown on each side ; 

 belly and abdomen white ; feathers of the back and scapulars very 

 deep-brown in the middle, and bordered with brighter brown ; tail 

 ashy-brown, streaked with brown bands disposed obliquely; bill 

 blackish, but reddish at its base ; iris brown; feet lead-colour. Length 

 of male 16 inches, bill 3 inches; of female 18 inches, bill 3^ inches. 



Whimbrel (Numenim phirapus]. 



Tho young of the year have the bill short, hardly an inch and a 

 hnlf long : this organ curves in proportion as the bird grows older. 



There can be little doubt that Whimbrels were the ' Curlew Knaves ' 

 of the old Household Books. 



It is very widely distributed. Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Lap- 

 land, Faroe Islands, Iceland, Germany, Holland, Fiance (but moro 

 common in Holland than in France or Germany), Italy, Spain, Pro- 

 vence, Madeira, and the central part of North Africa. Asia 

 Caucasus, Himalaya Mountains, Bengal, and Japan. 



