294 THE BIRDS OF DEVOX. 



Order LIMICOL^. 



Family (EDICNEMID^. 



Stone- Curlew. (Edicnemus scoloimx (S. G. Gmelin). 



[Great Plover, Norfolk Plover, Common Thick-knee, Thick-kneed 

 Bustard of Montagu.] 



A casual visitor, of occasional occurrence, usually in the winter months, 

 i. e. October to February, and mostly on the South coast. It has occurred 

 only once in the month of March (18G7) and once in May (1889). 

 ilr. Pi. P. Nicholls had a specimen that was killed out of a flock in the 

 winter of 1889, but this bird generally occurs either singly or in pairs in 

 Devonshire. 



The Stone-Curlew is a summer visitant in small numbers to some of our 

 Southern and Eastern counties, arriving at the end of April and leaving 

 again at Michaelmas, its presence being generally first announced by the 

 shrill cry of the male being heard in the evenings. It has not been found 

 in the summer months further west than Dorsetshire, in which county it 

 still nests in several places towards its eastern borders. In West Somerset, 

 Devon, and Cornwall it is only known as a winter visitor, that part of the 

 kingdom being ap})arently the extreme north of the bird's winter range. 

 In North Devon we have seen single examples of this bird flying overhead 

 when we have been on the look-out for wild-fowl in severe weather during 

 the winter months, and we have known it to have been shot on the 

 Praunton Burrows in January, All the records of its occurrence in the 

 county of which we have knowledge are given below. 



The Stone-Curlew is at all times a shy and suspicious bird, and very 

 difiicult to approach. Not very many, in consequence, fall victims to the 

 gun ; but in spite of this the bird is decreasing each year in all its English 

 haunts. This is due to the destruction of its eggs, which are very generally 

 deposited in wheat-fields, and are smashed by the heavy iron rollers used 

 for rolling the wheat. A great number of eggs are also devoured by Rooks, 

 which are constantly on the look-oiit for them. We have known the 

 Stone-Curlew to occur frequently on the Mendip, hut have no knowledge 

 of a nest there, although it is a very likely place for one, and is only a 

 short, flight from the Wiltshire Downs, where many breed ; nor do we 

 know of a nest ever having been detected in Somerset. In the east 

 of that county we have met with Stone-Curlews singly in turnip-fields in 

 August, and have occasionally seen little flocks of ten or a dozen passing 

 overhead. 



Like many of the Plovers, the Stone-Curlew will sometimes squat, 

 trusting to the protective colour of its plumage, which closely resembles 



