THE BIRDS OF THE MADHUBANI SUB-DIVISION. 769 



vast flocks are to be found, I have never got a fully adult bird with pure 



white head and neck. They arrive about September and remain all through 



the cold weather. I shot one however on the 28th June, but it had a broken 



leg, the bone of the tibia protruding at the joint. The ovaries were small 



though one would have expected to have found them enlarged at that season. 



(234) Recurvirostra avocetta. — The Avocet. 



Blanford, No. 1452 ; Hume, No. 899. 



IScroope found a small flock feeding on a mud flat about a mile from Beni- 



pati. Not uncommon during some cold seasons near Baghownie where they 



usually keep in small parties. I have shot them from November to the end 



of March. 



(235) NoMENius ARQUATA. — The Curlew. 

 Blanford, No, 1454 ; Hume, No. 877. 

 Scroope saw five Curlews near Madhubani in June 1899. They are 

 scarce birds. Gordon Dalgleish shot a pair in February 1900, and I have 

 secured six or seven specimens in the neighbourhood of Baghownie. In the 

 stomach of a female which I dissected were some shells. They are exceed- 

 ingly wary. Native names Gooniar and Goonjer. 



(236) N. PH^OPUS,— The Whimbrel. 

 Blanford, No. 1455 ; Hume, No. 878. 

 A single female was snared with bird lime by a mir-shikar in the Maiser 

 chaur some miles distant from Baghownie on the 15th July. The country 

 was in flood at the time, and it was with the greatest trouble that he managed 

 to get the bird. There were no others nor have I ever heard of any others 

 being got in these parts. Native name Chota gooniar. 



(237) LiMOSA BELGICA. — The Black-tailed Godwit. 

 Blanford, No. 1456 ; Hume, No. 875, 

 Vast flocks are found near the Minti chaur in the cold weather according 

 to Scroope, and one of my men saw a lot in the Sumnah jheel about two miles 

 south-east of Minti. They are abundant in the Ootidee chaur near Ba- 

 ghownie during the same period. They are excellent eating. I got one on 

 the 3rd May which was in breeding plumage. 



(238) ToTANUS HYPOLEUCDS. — The Common Sandpiper. 

 Blanford, '^o. 1460 j S'Mwe, No. 893. 

 Fairly common, but rarer than the next species. They arrive about the third 

 week in August, 



(239) T. GLAREOLA.— The Wood Sandpiper. 

 Blanford, No, 1461 ; Hume, No, 891, 



Very common. They arrive in the beginning of August and stay till March. 



(240) T, OCHROPUS, — The Green Sandpiper. 

 Blanford, No, 1462 ; Hume, No. 892. 



This is the commonest Sandpiper we have. They usually arrive in 

 August, but I once got one on the 6th July, Sandpipers are generally known 

 to Europeans in India as Sni])pets, 



