STONE-CURLEW. 597 



Abyssinia ; but its numbers are largely increased during winter. It is 

 also a resident in Palestine, Asia Minor, Persia, Baluchistan, India, Ceylon, 

 and Burma. It is a summer visitor to Russian Turkestan, and probably 

 also to West Siberia south of lat. 48, as Finsch records it from the steppes 

 north of Lake Saisan*. 



Indian examples of the Stone-Curlew have been described as a distinct 

 species on account of their alleged smaller size ; but this statement does 

 not appear to be supported by facts. Of the allied species which inhabit 

 Africa, South America, and Australia, none can be confused with our 

 bird, except (Edicnemus inornatus, inhabiting South Nubia and Abyssinia, 

 which is doubtfully distinct from it. It is said to differ in not having 

 the upper bar across the wing ; but this bar is not shown in the figure 

 of the Stone-Curlew in Dresser's ( Birds of Europe/ 



The haunts of the Stone-Curlew are the lowland heaths, commons, large 

 tracts of unenclosed country, sheep-walks, rabbit-warrens, and wolds. In 

 this respect it very closely resembles the Bustards. It is fond of the bare 

 districts where it can keep a good look-out, and thus be able to detect any 

 danger, no matter from what point of the compass it may come. It loves 

 the sandy wastes, and never frequents wooded districts. The Stone-Curlew 

 is principally known as a summer visitor to this country, and arrives at 

 its old haunts about the middle of April, leaving them again for the south 

 in October, but, should the season be an open one, many linger still later. 



In spite of high farming and the enclosure of commons, the habits of 

 the Stone-Curlew may still be studied during a day's excursion from 

 London in many localities. On Saturday morning the 21st of May, 1881, 

 I left London for Ipswich, and, having met my friend Mr. Bidwell at 

 the station, we walked out beyond the race-course to a lake or pond 

 called Bixley decoy, a distance of perhaps four miles. Our first care 

 was to make for the cottage of the decoy keeper, so that under his 

 auspices we might be free from the molestations of gamekeepers, and also 

 to post ourselves up in the latest intelligence concerning the movements 

 of the Stone-Curlews, whose breeding-habits it was the special object of 

 our journey to investigate. 



We learned that these birds were by no means exterminated, and that, 

 although the great heath where they had bred from time immemorial had 

 been enormously encroached upon by recent enclosures, the Stone- 

 Curlews still frequented what was left of it. During the last quarter of a 

 century reclamation has advanced with rapid strides. There used to be 



* Neither Captain Legge, in his ' Birds of Ceylon,' nor Gates, in his ' Birds of Burmah,' 

 nor Saunders, in his continuation of Newton's edition of ' Yarrell's British Birds,' men- 

 tion the occurrence of this bird in Siberia, which is scarcely doing justice to Finsch, who 

 states that he identified the species with absolute certainty, although he failed to obtain 

 a specimen. 



