ii8 MOUNTAIN AND MOORLAND 



is the cry of the Curlew (Numenius arquata), or 

 Whaup. The bird is also fond of the seashore, 

 especially in winter; but its nesting-place is on the 

 moors, both high and low. It is easily recognised 

 among other waders by its large size (two inches over 

 two feet in length) and by its long curved bill, which, 

 by the way, is quite short when the young bird is 

 hatched. The brown streaked plumage often har- 

 monises well with the surroundings, notably when the 

 Curlew is brooding among last year's withered ferns 

 and herbage. The nest is hardly more than a depres- 

 sion made comfortable with grass ; and the four large, 

 greenish and brownish, broadly pear-shaped eggs lie 

 with their points towards the centre. They are usually 

 laid about the end of April or the beginning of May 

 and have to be brooded on for about a month. The 

 young birds feed chiefly on insects and their larvae; 

 the adults eke out this diet with earthworms, slugs, 

 and small juicy fruits (such as those of Crowberry 

 and Bramble) ; in the winter they eat almost any little 

 animal that they can get on the sand, or on the mud- 

 flats, or among the rocks. The flesh of the Moor 

 Curlews is palatable, but that of the Shore Curlews is 

 rank. 



The Curlew is wide awake and wary, but the brood- 

 ing bird will sometimes sit close instead of flying 

 from the nest. We have known one allow the 

 photographer to come within a few feet of her. Both 

 parents are brave in defence of their young ones, and 

 will even stand up to a Raven. There is much to be 

 learned about the intimacies of the Curlew by any 

 patient observer who is clever enough to get the 

 better of the bird's shyness. 



