THE BAR-TAILED GODWIT 311 



for its feeding-grounds those localities in which 

 seaweed is plentiful, feeding on the small Crustacea, 

 etc., which cling to it. 



The black- tailed and the bar-tailed godwits 

 are similar in shape, both possessing the same 

 long, slender, and up-curved bill, the same pecu- 

 liarly-shaped head, not unlike that of the wood- 

 cock in the setting-on of the bill at its base, though 

 the neck is longer and more slender than that of 

 the woodcock. The bar-tailed godwit is the more 

 common of the two. It is said to be most plenti- 

 ful on the Northumbrian coast throughout the 

 winter, and in Norfolk during its migration in 

 spring. As I have before observed when refer- 

 ring to the black-tailed godwit, the females of 

 both varieties are larger than the males. The bar- 

 tailed variety is, however, the smaller, measuring 

 from fifteen to sixteen inches, as compared with 

 from sixteen to twenty inches. In summer the 

 plumage of the bar-tailed godwit is of a red colour 

 below, the upper parts streaked with brown and 

 black ; the rump white, with brown streaks ; the 

 tail a yellowish-white, with dark brown bars. In 

 winter the under parts are white, the upper 

 grayish-brown, the tail barred. The length and 

 peculiar shape of the bill is alone sufficiently 

 characteristic to denote the godwit, the colour 

 of the tail-feathers plainly indicating which of the 

 two varieties, whether the black or bar-tailed. 



The greenshank, though it may be almost 

 called a resident in Ireland, is rarely to be seen 



