BIRDS MET WITH BY THE WILDFOWLER 335 



northwards in May (hence its name May-bird), and is on the 

 return in August. It is absent in winter from the British Isles, 

 except in South-West Ireland, where odd specimens occur at 

 this season. Its note is a tittering whistle, from which it has 

 in some parts gained the name "titterel." In appearance it is 

 very much like a common curlew, but may always be dis- 

 tinguished by its smaller size and shorter bill, the latter never 

 exceeding 3^ in. in length. 



ESKIMO CURLEW 

 Numenius borealis (J. F. Forster) 

 This bird lives in Arctic America, and some eight or nine 

 examples have been procured in the British Isles. 



It is rather like a small Whimbrel in appearance, but it may 

 be identified by the absence of barring on the primaries, no 

 white on the rump, transverse arrow-head markings on the 

 under parts, and the axillaries being chestnut barred with 

 brown. Length 14 in. ; wing 8*25 in. 



RED-NECKED PHALAROPE 



Phalaropus hyperboreus (Linncsus) 

 The Phalaropes are delightful little birds of aquatic 

 habits, and form a splendid instance of how similar environ- 

 ment tends to the production of similar structure. They may 

 be easily recognised from other limicoline or wading birds by 

 their very close feathering, especially on the breast, and their 

 lobed feet, while in the Grey Phalarope especially the bill is 

 somewhat flattened, so that in these birds we find a tendency 

 towards the flattened bill as in Ducks, lobed feet as in the 

 Grebes, and the peculiar thick feathers on the breast char- 

 acteristic of Petrels and Gulls. The Phalaropes have also 

 another peculiarity unique among British birds, although 

 shared by several other groups in different parts of the world, 

 namely, that the duties of incubation and rearing of the 



