CURLEWS. 



489 



great compression of its large beak, which in the South American race tends to 

 curve upwards at the tip. 



Mainly coast-birds, although frequently ascending rivers for a long distance 

 inland, oyster-catchers derive their name from their habit of feeding largely upon 

 bivalve molluscs, the shells of which their compressed beaks are admirably adapted 

 for prising open. The same efficient instrument serves for detaching limpets 

 from their hold on rocks, and extracts marine worms and other creatures 

 from their burrows in the sand. 



n>is-Biiied Nearly allied to the members of this genus is a remarkable bird 



oyster-Catcher, from Central Asia (Ibidorhynchus struthersi) distinguished by the 



beak being curved down in the manner of that of an ibis. The beak and feet are 



red, the front of the head black, and the general tone of the remainder of the 



plumage olive. 



Curlews and Although evidently related to the preceding genera, the curlews 



WMmbreis. belong to the second section of the subfamily, in which, at least for 

 the lower portion of its front half, 

 the metatarsus is covered with large 

 scutes ; and they are defined by this 

 feature, coupled with the circum- 

 stance that the long beak is so 

 arched that the chord drawn from 

 the base to the tip will pass below 

 the inferior border of the lower 

 mandible. The curlews have moder- 

 ately long and slender necks, with 

 the beak generally longer than the 

 metatarsus, although this is not the 

 case with the -Eskimo whimbrel 

 (Numenius borealis) and the least 

 whimbrel (N. minutus). In the 

 legs a large portion of the tibia is 

 devoid of feathers, and there is a 

 small first toe. As a rule, only the 

 lower portion of the front of the 

 metatarsus is covered with scutes; 



but in the least whimbrel this segment of the leg is thus protected on all sides. 

 The wings are moderate and pointed, with the first quill the longest, and the tail 

 is squared. The plumage is coloured with various shades of brown and buff, pro- 

 ducing a mottled appearance, recalling that of the thicknees, and is evidently adapted 

 for protective resemblance. With the exception of the two species above mentioned, 

 all the curlews have pale bars on the inner webs of their primary quills. Curlews 

 are represented by nine species, two of which have well-marked local varieties ; and 

 during the breeding-season are confined to North America, Europe, North Africa, 

 and Asia north of the Himalaya, although in winter they have a cosmopolitan range. 

 The common European curlew (N. arquatus) is a large bird 



COMMON CURLEW. 



Various Species. 



measuring from 21 to 26 inches in length, which may be diagnosed 



