The Distribution of Birds in Great Britain. 447 



Mr. H. Stevenson has not heard of any nest in Norfolk during the last 

 twelve years. 



Obs. Mr. Hewitson mentions that in the Museum of the Natural 

 History Society of Newcastle-upon-Tyne there is a stuffed specimen of 

 the Little Bittern (Ardea minuta}, together with its eggs, which for- 

 merly formed part of the Allan or Wycliffe Museum. Of the history of 

 the eggs nothing is known ; but that gentleman has " very little doubt 

 that they were taken in this country." Macgillivray also suggests that 

 a nest described by Montagu as that of the Water- Rail belonged to this 

 species (Hist. B. B. iv. p. 524). 



PLATALEA LEUCORODIA (Linn.}. Spoonbill. 



Province [IV.]. 



Subprovinces (10), (11). 



Lat. 52-53. " Germanic " type. Not in Ireland. 



The little that is known of the Spoonbill having formerly bred in 

 England is contained in the record of Sir Thomas Browne, who says : 

 " The platea or shovelard which build upon the tops of high trees. They 

 have formerly built in the Hernery, at Claxton and Reedham [Norfolk] ; 

 now at Trimley in Suffolk " ( Works, Wilkin's Ed. vol. iv. pp. 315, 316). 

 This was written about two hundred years ago, the author having died 

 in 1682. 



NUMENIUS ARQUATUS (Lath.}. Curlew. 



Provinces I. II. ?, V.-VIII. IX. ?, X.-XVIII. 

 Subprovinces i, 2, 4 ?, 15-18, 20, 21 ?, 22-35, 37-38. 

 Lat. 50-61. " Scottish" type, or Northern. 



Rare in the sputh during summer, though a few pairs are recorded 

 as breeding in Cornwall and Devonshire. 



Mr. H. Graves informs me that the Curlew " breeds regularly near 

 Charminster in Dorset, laying its eggs in the furrows of the fallow- 

 land " ; but I suspect that in this locality, and also in Wiltshire, the 

 Stone -Curlew (CEdicnemus crefiitans} has been mistaken for Numenius 

 arquatus. 



Further north there are one or two breeding-stations in Shropshire, 

 and Mr. O. Salvin finds the nest in Derbyshire. 



The Curlew breeds in North and South Wales, and from Yorkshire 

 northwards becomes more numerous, extending as far north as the 

 Shetland Islands ; but we learn from Macgillivray that it does not breed 

 in the Outer Hebrides. 



NUMENIUS PH^EOPUS (Lath.}. Whimbrel. 



Provinces X. ? XVII. XVIII. 

 Subprovinces 23 ?, 35, 37, 38. 

 Lat. 54 or 58-61. " Scottish" type. Not in Ireland. 



