NUMENIUS. 253 



Distribution. A winter visitor to India, Ceylon, and Burma, also 

 to the Andaman s, Nicobars, Laccadives, &c. Curlews pass the 

 summer and breed in temperate Europe and Asia, and spend the 

 winter in Africa and Southern Asia. 



Habits, Sfc. In India Curlews are most abundant on the sea-coast 

 and on the banks of tidal rivers ; but some are found inland in 

 well-watered countries near rivers, large tanks, and marshes. 

 As a rule they are seen singly or in twos or threes, but flocks are 

 not uncommon. The Curlew has a peculiar, very plaintive cry, 

 not unlike that of the Golden Plover, but wilder. It is a very 

 wary bird. 



The Indian Curlew, N. lineatus, was long regarded as distinct, 

 but the differences have been shown to be chiefly due to winter 

 plumage. The bill is somewhat longer on an average. 



1455. Numenius phaeopus. The Whimbrel. 



Scolopax phaeopus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 243 (1766). 



Numenius phaeopus, Blyth, Cat. p. 268; Jerdon, B. 1. iii. p. 684: 



Bi 



ibid. p. 341 ; 'Hume, ibid. p. 464 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 460 '; 

 Butler, S. F. vii, p. 187 ; ix, p. 429 ; Hume, ibid. p. 487 ; id. Cat. 

 no. 878; Leffffe, Birds Ceyl. p. 910; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 85; Reid, 

 S. F. x, p. 70 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 411 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 352 ; 

 Sliarpe, Cat. B. M. xxiv, p. 355. 



Chota Gounyh, Chota Gidinda, H. 



Coloration. Crown including forehead dark brown, with a broken 

 median white band ; long supercilia from base of bill and sides of 

 head whitish with dark streaks ; lores and a band through eve to 

 ear-coverts dark brown ; upper parts generally brown, with whitish 

 spots on the edges of the t'eathers, becoming larger on the wing- 

 coverts ; bastard wing, primary-coverts and quills blackish brown, 

 primary-coverts and inner primaries tipped white, inner webs of 

 all quills and outer webs of the inner primaries and of the second- 

 aries with white indentations ; lower back and rump white, some 

 of the feathers as a rule with subterminal pointed brown spots ; 

 upper tail-coverts, barred dark brown and whitish ; tail ashy 

 brown, barred with dark brown ; chin, throat, and abdomen white ; 

 fore neck and breast sullied white with dark brown shafts, flanks 

 and axillaries barred. 



To the eastward this passes into N. variegatus, with the lower 

 back and rump thickly mottled with bars and spots of brown. 

 Some Burmese skins are referred to N. varieyatus by Sharpe, but 

 it only ranks as a race or subspecies. 



Bill blackish brown, basal half of lower mandible pale and 

 pinkish ; irides dark brown ; legs and feet bluish grey. 



Length of male 17; tail 3-75; wing 9-5; tarsus 2'3; bill 

 from gape 3*2. Females on an average exceed males in size ; 

 wing 10. 



