THE ISLANDS OF THE BAY OP BENGAL. 297 



dimensions given by him, Ibis, 1867, 398, and they certainly 

 do not belong to any other known species. So many curlews 

 have been named and renamed, and so much difference of opi- 

 nion still seems to prevail, as to what are and are not good 

 species, that (although independent of other points, the mere fact 

 of their being at the Andamans in August affords some pre- 

 sumption of their distinctness), I hesitate to describe them as 

 new, but if they prove to be so they might stand as subarquata. 



878.— Numenius phaeopus, Lin. (5.) 



Specimens from the Andamans and Nieobars differ in no 

 way from specimens from other parts of India and England. 

 In this species as in that last mentioned the bills of the females 

 are considerably longer than those of the males. The following 

 are dimensions of two males and two females : — 



Males. — Length, 17 & 17-25; expanse, 31 & 31'5 ; wing, 9 

 & 9'5 ; tail, from vent, 4 & 4*25 ; tarsus, 2 3 & 2 -4. Bare 

 portion of tibia, 0*95 & 1*1 ; bill, from gape, 3*05 & 3*12 ; bill 

 at front, 2'95 & 3'09 ; closed wings, reach to end of tail ; weight, 

 12 ozs. 



Females. — Length, 18 & 18*5; expanse, 31*5 & 32; wing, 

 9*75 & 10*6; tail, from vent, 4'5 ; tarsus, 2*45; bare portion 

 of tibia, 1*25 ; bill from gape, 3*5 & 3*58; bill at front, 3*2; 

 closed wings reach to within 0'5 of end of tail ; weight, lib. 



The legs and feet are pale blue or bluish green ; the claws black ; 

 upper mandible and tip of lower mandible brownish black; 

 basal two-thirds of lower mandible, gape, and margin of upper 

 mandible for about one inch beyond nostril, pink ; irides dark 

 brown. 



Davison remarks : — " The Whimbrel is much oftener met with 

 than the Curlew, but as it is almost as wary it is difficult to pro- 

 cure. It occurs both at the Andamans and Nieobars, feeding 

 along the mud banks left exposed by the ebb of the tide, and 

 retiring at high water either to the mangroves or to some part of 

 the shore above high-water mark. It is usually in small flocks, 

 but single individuals or pairs are often met with. A few were 

 still to be seen about Port Blair in the second week in May, but 

 the greater number appeared to have migrated."" One of our 

 specimens was shot on the 16th September. 



882— Tringa subarquata, Gould. (8.) 



Davison says : — " Small flocks of this bird are to be met with 

 about the creeks and sea shore at the Andamans ; I did not 

 obtain it at I he Nieobars nor did I observe it at Port Blair 



