CURLEW AND WHIMBREL 531 



consists of a large proportion of the home-reared birds, with some from 

 Northern Europe. This is a point, however, upon which more light 

 will be thrown with the extension of the system of "ringing" 

 nestlings. 



The return migration commences as early as the end of February, 

 continuing throughout March and April and well into May. The 

 earliest arrivals are almost certainly part of our breeding stock, and 

 they repair, as they arrive, to their inland nesting-places. Long after 

 they have settled on the moors the full stock of winter residents may 

 be seen on the coasts. The date of the latest arrivals from overseas 

 overlaps the beginning of the emigration of our winter residents, 

 which takes place in the end of March and continues throughout 

 April and May. By the end of the latter month the only curlews left 

 on the coast are non-breeding birds, which remain for the summer. 



The first curlews may be seen on most British breeding-places 

 quite early in March. They remain in flocks up to the beginning of 

 April when mating commences, and by about the middle of the month 

 they will have dispersed in pairs over the usual nesting areas. 



Although the curlew is a common and familiar nesting species, 

 yet its watchfulness, and the open nature of the country it frequents, 

 makes observation of it, while on the ground, exceedingly difficult. 

 Consequently, whatever there may be in the form of courting-display 

 is yet to be recorded. A number of false nests, or rather additional 

 scrapes, may almost invariably be found in the neighbourhood of each 

 real nest. Mr. Owen R. Owen tells me (in litt.) that in parts of 

 Radnorshire, where the curlew breeds commonly, it is not unusual 

 to find as many as two or three dozen scrapes in an afternoon. If 

 these scrapes are formed under conditions similar to those prevailing 

 with the lapwing, then close observation of the curlew in early spring 

 would be well repaid. 



The aerial evolutions of the male peculiar to the breeding season 

 are obvious enough and well known. The performance, with its 

 accompanying trilling song, resembles somewhat that of the redshank 



