218 THE GUN: AFIELD AND AFLOAT 



and shot to a considerable extent. Length, about 1 2 J in. ; 

 weight and size of body much the same as that of its 

 golden relative. 



SHORE BIRDS. 



Most important and largest amongst these is the 

 CURLEW, Numenius arquata. The Curlew is a fine 

 bird, and well worthy of the kind attentions of the 

 coast-shooter. Many curlews nest on the elevated moor- 

 lands in the west and north of these islands, and these 

 home birds begin to make their way down to the mud- 

 banks and saltings around the coast in August, where, 

 with the home-bred ducks, they form the principal objects 

 of pursuit for the shore-shooting fraternity during the 

 opening weeks of the shooting season. About mid- 

 October the foreign-bred curlew arrive and take up their 

 quarters for the winter. A young curlew is excellent 

 eating. Curlews vary much in size and length of bill, 

 some fully-grown birds measuring but 21 in., whilst others 

 exceed 26 in. in total length. A fair average weight is 

 about if lb., but I have shot curlew weighing as much 

 as 2 \ lb. The ESKIMO CURLEW, Numenius borealis, has 

 been killed in these islands on rare occasions. It is a 

 North American species and is much smaller than our 

 curlew, measuring only some 14 in. in length ; being, in 

 fact, a smaller bird than our Whimbrel. 



THE WHIMBREL, Numenius phceopus, closely resembles 

 the Curlew in all but size. In South Lincolnshire a 

 common name for this bird is " Curlew Jack," or " Half 

 Curlew." This is the bird so frequently observed flying 

 across the country, often at considerable height, when on 



