416 



Grx-llm. ^BIEDS.- 



-ScOI-OPACID^. 



•with the Sacred Ibis in the veneration of the people ; 

 it is seen represented on their monuments, and its 

 mummies have been found in the tombs. 



The Glossy Ibis is about two feet in length, and the 

 plumage of its upper parts is of a dark-reddish or 

 chestnut-brown colour, with beautiful purplish and 

 bronzed green tints. The lower surface and neck are 

 dark reddish-brown, the bill is purplish-brown, and 

 the feet are green. Like many other species of the 

 Ibis group it is migratory ; it lives chiefly in swampy 

 places by the sides of rivers and lakes, and feeds on 

 young frogs, small fishes, insects, worms, and moUusca. 



Family V.— SCOLOPACID^. 



These birds, which are among the smaller species of 

 their order, are distinguished by their long, slender, 

 and nearly cylindrical bills, which are obtuse at the 

 tip and generally somewhat flexible, of a softer texture 

 than in most birds, and often covered at the tip with a 

 delicate skin, abundantly supplied with nerves, and 

 thus forming an admirable tactile organ. Tlie upper 



mandible is a little longer than the lower one and 

 usually grooved on each side ; the nostrils, which are 

 small, are pierced at the base of the bill in the grooves. 

 In the development of the legs the birds of this family 

 differ considerably amongst themselves — some having 

 the legs longer and more slender in proportion to their 

 size than any other birds, whilst others are supported 

 upon comparatively short limbs. The anterior toes 

 are of moderate length, and frequently connected at 

 the base by membranes ; the posterior toe when present 

 is small and slightly elevated, but sometimes entirely 

 wanting. The wings are well developed, and the birds 

 generally possess considerable powers of flight. 



The species of this family, which are exceedingly 

 numerous, are all true wading birds, frequenting marshy 

 places and the banks of rivers, in the mud and soft 

 ground of which they seek the worms and insects which 

 constitute their chief food. 



THE CURLEW {Numenhis arquata) — fig. 130 — a 

 common British species, is one of the largest birds in 

 this family, the female measuring upwards of two feet 

 in length, whilst the male is a few inches less. It is 



Fig. 130. 



The Curlew (Numenius arquata). 



of a brown colour, with the edges of the feathers whitish, 

 and the rump wnite ; the lower surface is white or 

 nearly so, with the breast pale brown, and the neck 

 and breast streaked with dark brown. The bill, which 

 is long and considerably curved downwards, is brown, 

 and the naked part of the long slender legs is pale blue. 

 During the late autumn and winter the Curlew fre- 

 quents the sea-shore, where it finds an abundance of 

 small Crustacea, worms, and other marine animals ; 

 but at the approach of spring it migi-ates inland, and 

 usually in a northerly direction, to breed upon the 

 moors and hills. The nest consists of a few dry leaves 

 and similar materials brought together in a tuft of her- 

 bage, and in this the eggs, four in number, are laid. 

 They are of a pear-shape, and are generally placed 

 with the smaller ends together. Our common Curlew 

 is generally distributed in all parts of the Old AVorld. 



THE BLACK-TAILED GOD WIT {Limosa mchmura) 

 is a bird of passage in this country, appearing with us 

 chiefly in the spring and autumn on its way to and 

 from its northern breeding-places, although a few pairs 

 remain through the summer and breed in our fens and 

 marshes. It is met with throughout the northern half 

 of the eastern hemisphere. This bird measures from 

 sixteen to seventeen inches in length; it has a long 

 iiill, very slightly curved upwards. Its plumage varies 

 greatly with the seasons ; but it is always distinguish- 

 able by its black tail. 



THE COMMON EEDSHANE {Tot anus Calidris) is a 

 not uncommon British species, and resides in this 

 country throughout the year. It is also met with on 

 the continent of Europe, in most parts of Asia, and in 

 Northern Africa. The female is about eleven inches 

 in length. In its winter plumage the upper surface is 



