CHAKADKIID^E 



BEAK. Brownish, darker towards the point ; slender 

 and decurved. 



FEET. Dark greyish-green. 

 IEIDES. Blackish-brown. 



AVERAGE MEASUREMENTS. 



TOTAL LENGTH ... ... 23 in. Female larger. 



WING 12 



BEAK 5'5 ,, 



(Extremes, from 4 in. to 7 in.). 

 TARSO-METATARSUS ... 4 in. 

 EGG 2-7 x 1-9 in. 



Allied Species and Representative Forms. The Western 

 Asiatic race mentioned above is not a true species, but 

 shows more white on the lower back and axillaries than 

 the European bird. 



N. cyanopus, with the lower back and upper tail-coverts 

 broadly barred, is the true Eastern species ; it visits Aus- 

 tralia in winter. 



N. longirostris, with the axillaries reddish, is the 

 American representative ; it is larger than our Curlew. 



N. tenuirostrisj a smaller species, chiefly inhabits 

 Southern Europe. 



WHIMBREL. Numenius phceopus (Linnaeus). 



Coloured Figures. Gould, ' Birds of Great Britain,' vol. iv, pi. 49 ; 

 Dresser, ' Birds of Europe,' vol. viii, pi. 576 ; Lilford, 

 ' Coloured Figures,' vol. v, pi. 58. 



The regularity with which this species appears along 

 our shores early in the month of May has gained for it the 

 popular name of 'May-bird.' The Whimbrel, like most 

 other ' waders,' is a bird of double passage. It is most 

 abundant in our Isles when migrating northward in spring, 

 distributing itself widely along low-lying as well as rocky 

 parts of the coasts ; it also occurs in considerable numbers 

 on remote islands and on inland bogs. In several locali- 

 ties immature birds remain on our coasts throughout the 



