326 THE COMPLETE WILDFOWLER 



of most of the southern and eastern counties, but in the west 

 of England, Scotland, and Ireland it heis only very rarely 

 been reported. 



Sandy brown in colour, it assimilates so well with its sur- 

 roundings that it is very difficult to see, and when approached 

 will often "squat," stretching its neck out to its fullest extent, 

 and so escape observation. It runs with great rapidity and 

 flies strongly, its flight being not unlike that of a Pigeon, 

 while the white bars on the wing-coverts show up conspicu- 

 ously. Its food, which is chiefly taken at dusk and dawn, 

 consists of insects of all kinds, especially beetles. 



Living as it frequently does in districts away from water, 

 it journeys nightly to a favourite watering-place. The note is 

 a loud whistling cry, which is uttered at night, and during the 

 early spring these birds are very noisy. 



Both sexes assist in the duties of incubation and rearing of 

 the young, who, when first hatched, are pale bufi^with a longi- 

 tudinal dark line down each side of the back. Their legs are 

 much thickened, a feature common to many limicoline birds, 

 and this has led to this species being sometimes known as the 

 "Thick-Knee." In August old and young gather together 

 in flocks and migrate soon afterwards, though occasionally 

 specimens have been known to pass the winter in this country. 



The sexes are alike in plumage. The upper parts are of a 

 uniform sandy brown, with dark streaks down the centres of 

 the feathers, some of the wing-coverts being tipped with white 

 to form two narrow bars. Neck and breast pale brown streaked 

 with darker. Throat and belly white. There is also a white 

 stripe under each eye. Bill yellow, with a black tip ; legs 

 greenish yellow. Length, roughly, i6 in. ; wing 9*25 in. 



