118 BIRDS OF THE HUMBER DISTRICT. 



176. LIMOSA RUFA, Temminck. Bar-tailed Godwit. 

 Provincial. Curlew-whelp. 



Occurs each year, often in considerable numbers, 

 in the spring and autumn, both within the Humber 

 and on the sea-coast, where several also remain resi- 

 dent throughout the winter. In the spring they 

 appear regularly on our muds during the second week 

 in May, a little later than the Grey Plover and Whim- 

 brel, remaining to the end of the month, and taking 

 their departure about the same dates as these birds. 

 At this time many have acquired the brilliant nuptial 

 dress ; there will be others, however, still in transition, 

 and some as yet showing little or no change. Every 

 observer must be struck with the great irregularity 

 with which many of our shore birds assume the garb 

 of summer ; and it appears very difficult to lay down 

 any general rule. The probability is that the oldest 

 and strongest first put on the nesting-plumage, and 

 that of these it is the male which takes precedence 

 both as to time and depth of colouring, followed at a 

 later period and more gradually by the young of the 

 preceding year*. From the very backward state of 

 the plumage of many of our shore-Birds (as Knot, 

 Grey Plover, Godwit, &c.) at the time they leave us, 

 I am inclined to think that the young of the preceding 

 year do not fully acquire the brilliant plumage of the 

 older bird till the second summer. 



* See Mr. Stevenson's admirable paper on the Bar-tailed 

 Godwit, < Birds of Norfolk/ vol. ii. p. 253. 



