THE WHIMBREL. 411 



Genus NUMENIUS, Briss. 



751. NUMENIUS PH520PUS. 

 THE WHIMBREL. 



Scolopax phaeopus, Li int. S?/st. X<tt. i. p. 243. Numenius phaeopus, Jerri. B. 

 Lid ii. p. 084 ; Hilntrf. Ucc. Horn. p. 338; Drcssrr, Birtl* Enr. viii. p. 227, pi. ; 

 Hume, S. F. ii. p. 297, iii. p. 182; Bl. B. Burm. p. loo; Armstrong, S. F. iv. 

 p. 341 ; David et Ousf. Ois. Chine, p. 457 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi. p. 460 ; Hume, 

 S. F. viii. p. 112 ; Lefff/c, Birds Ceylon, p. 910; Gates, S. F. x. p. 240. 



Description. Male and female. Forehead, crown and nape brown ; a 

 light streak over the centre of the crown ; a broad streak from the bill 

 over the eve to the occiput whitish sparingly streaked with brown ; chin 

 and throat white ; sides of the head, sides and front of the neck and the 

 whole breast white boldly streaked with brown; upper part of the abdo- 

 men and the sides of the body white, with arrowhead-shaped cross bars of 

 brown ; remainder of the lower plumage white, some of the lateral under 

 tail-coverts marked with brown ; back, wing-coverts, scapulars and terti- 

 aries brown, each feather edged with paler brown ; rump pure white ; upper 

 tail-coverts whitish barred with brown ; tail light brown cross-barred with 

 dark brown ; quills dark brown, the inner webs barred with white ; shaft 

 of first primary white, the others turning to brown. There is no seasonal 

 change of plumage. 



Iris brown $ bill dark brown, the basal half of lower mandible fleshy 

 brown; legs and feet plumbeous. 



Length 17 inches, tail 4, wing 9, tarsus 2*3, bill from gape 3'8. 



The Whimbrel is sparingly distributed along the whole sea-coast line of 

 British Burmah in the winter months. I procured it near the mouth of 

 the Sittang river, Dr. Armstrong in the Irrawaddy Delta, and Captain 

 Feilden at Thayetmyo. Mr. Davison observed it in all parts of Tenasserim, 

 and Mr. Blyth records it from Arrakan. 



It is found throughout Europe, Africa and the whole of Asia, extending 

 through the Malay archipelago to the Philippines, Celebes, New Guinea 

 and Australia. It is migratory, retiring to northern regions to breed. 



The Whimbrel frequents the sea-coast in preference to other localities, 

 but it is also found along the course of the larger rivers far inland. Mr. 

 Davison mentions having seen this bird in the Tavoy river in July. 



