Birds of Britain 



In autumn the sexes are alike, and the general colour is 

 brownish grey above and white below. The tail feathers 

 are brown with no bars, but the tail coverts are barred at 

 all seasons. 



The young have a shorter beak than the adults, and 

 are brown chequered with buffish above and dull buff 

 below. The tail feathers are broadly barred. 



In spring the male has the back blackish with tawny 

 markings, the head and neck chestnut with dark streaks. 

 Whole of the under parts deep chestnut, the sides of the 

 breast spotted with brownish black. Eump white. Tail 

 whitish with brown bars. Length 15*5 in.; bill 2 '2 5 in.; 

 wing 8 in. The female is much larger and has very little 

 of the ruddy tint. 



THE BLACK-TAILED GODWIT 



Limosa belglca (J. F. Gmelin) 



During the first half of last century this species used to 

 nest in small but diminishing numbers in the fens and 

 marshes of Lincolnshire and East Anglia. It is now only 

 met with on passage, and even at such times it is by no 

 means common, and in Scotland and Ireland it is scarce and 

 its visits very irregular. On the Continent it breeds in 

 South Scandinavia, Central Eussia, Poland, North Germany, 

 Denmark, and Holland, migrating during August to the 

 Mediterranean basin. 



Their food consists of insects and worms, which in this 



346 



