628 COMMON CURLEW. 
as well as on some of the wastes of Brittany. Immense flights cross 
Heligoland on migration, and the species is well known on passage 
throughout Central and Southern Europe, ranging as far west as the 
Canaries and Azores ; while it winters in Africa from the Medi- 
terranean to Damara-land and Natal, and visits Madagascar. As 
regards Asia, the birds found between the Caspian and Lake Baikal 
exhibit more white on the rump and axillaries than our western 
form, though they intergrade with it; and these visit the Indian 
region in winter. _Eastern Siberia is inhabited by 4. cyanopus— 
characterized by a broadly-barred rump—which migrates to 
Australia. The American representative of our bird is the large 
LV. longirostris, with rufous axillaries. In the Mediterranean basin 
and Southern Russia, wandering to Holland, we find WV. tenutrostris, 
no larger than the Whimbrel, with which it has been confounded: 
though quite unnecessarily, for it has a striated crown and its 
axillaries are pure white. 
The shallow nest is on bare ground or in grass-pasture, or 
among the stems of bog-myrtle and heather; and the 4 large pear- 
shaped eggs, which are olive-green blotched with brown, and measure 
about 2°75 by 1°9 in., have been found near Carlisle early in April, 
while on the high moors of Northumberland incubation—in which 
both sexes take part—is not infrequent by the end of that month. 
Mr. Abel Chapman has remarked that for the first few days the 
young seldom go far from the nest. As long as they remain on the 
moors and pastures their diet consists of berries, worms, snails, spiders, 
insects &c., and in early autumn the birds are excellent for the table ; 
but after they have resorted to the sea-shore and fed on crustaceans 
and marine animals they become unpalatable. The Curlew has 
often been seen to perch on tall trees ; its flight is rapid, and a wedge- 
shaped formation is assumed by flocks. It is not only remark- 
ably wary, but seems to take pleasure in alarming every living 
creature within hearing of its shrill cows-Zze; while it has also a 
peculiar rippling and not unpleasant note. 
The adult in spring-plumage has the feathers of the crown and 
upper parts pale brown, with darker central streaks; rump and 
upper tail-coverts white, the latter streaked with dark brown 
towards their tips; tail-feathers barred with dark brown and dull 
white ; under-parts pale brown—nearly white on the belly—streaked 
with dark brown. The female is the larger bird and has the longer 
bill. Length 21-26 in. (bill 4°7 to 6), wing 11°5 to 12°25 in. In 
winter the under-parts are almost white; in the young they are 
washed with buff. The Curlew does not breed until its second spring. 
