432 Scolopacidce. 



In Germany it is Moorschneppe, ' Fen Snipe ' ; in Sweden, 

 Half-enkel BecJcasin, ' Half-single Snipe ' ; in Italy, Beccacino 

 minore; in Spain, Agachadera; and in Portugal, Narseja 

 gallega ; and here I may observe that gallega, as a diminutive, 

 is given to several other species, as the smallest woodpecker, the 

 short-toed lark, the little bittern, etc.; probably because the 

 servants and porters of Portugal, coming from Galicia (one of 

 the northern provinces of Spain), as hewers of wood and drawers 

 of water, have come to be looked on as inferiors, and hence 

 gallego is a term of inferiority; just as real, ' royal/ is on the 

 contrary applied to species of a large size. 



It is called gallinula, or ' the chicken/ I suppose, as if it must, 

 from its diminutive size, be the young of a larger species ! But 

 if the bird is small, its eggs are large : perhaps of greater bulk, 

 relatively to the size of the bird, than any others in the British 

 list ; for whereas the Jack Snipe weighs two ounces, its four eggs 

 weigh more than an ounce and a half. 



163. CURLEW SANDPIPER (Tringa mbarquata). 



This is sometimes known as the ' Pigmy Curlew/ the specific 

 name, subarquata, having also the meaning of ' a little like a 

 Curlew ; '* and the beak of this pretty little bird, gently curved 

 downwards, reminds one immediately of Numenius arquata, of 

 which it looks like a miniature edition. It has often been con- 

 fused with the Dunlin, which in general appearance it much 

 resembles ; moreover, it is not nearly so rare a visitor to our 

 shores as was once supposed, a considerable number being noticed 

 every year. This is especially the case in the south-western ex- 

 tremity of England, and the late Mr. Rodd, of Penzance, pointed 

 out to Professor Newton and myself, when we were on an excur- 

 sion through Cornwall, several specimens in his most interesting 

 collection. The only instance I have of its occurrence in Wilt- 

 shire I give on the authority of my friend, Colonel Ward, who 

 informed me that it was picked up alive by a labourer on Chip- 



B.O.U. ' List of British Birds,' p. 170. 



