no THE SPECIES. 



Nucifraga. Plate ix. COR VINM (Passeridse). 



124. caryocatactes, 13 in. NUTCRACKER. Plumage brown, spotted with 



white ; outer tail feathers tipped with white ; a 



dark brown crown ; bill black ; tail black. 



The Nutcracker— Dimensions, La ; Eggs, In — has been noticed south of the Tweed about 



twenty times. Its call lias a fancied resemblance to "crack, crack," and it has a leisurely, 



undulating flight. 



Numenius. Plate xxix. SCOLOPACID^. 



340. borealis, 14 in. Eskimo Curlew. Crown dark brown with a paler 



stripe ; no white on rump ; axillaries chestnut 

 barred with brown. 

 339. pkaopus, 18 in. Whimbrel. Crown dark brown with a whitish 

 stripe ; axillaries white barred with brown ; lowei 

 back and rump unstreaked white. 

 338. arguatus, 24 in. Curlew. Crown pale brown ; rump white with 

 black streaks ; axillaries white barred with brown *, 

 tarsus more than three inches long. 

 The Eskimo Curlew — Dimensions, Lq ; Eggs, Nq — is an American species occasionally 

 straggling across the Atlantic. 



The Whimbrel — Dimensions, Og ; Eggs, Pj — breeds in the northern islands, and gets as 

 far south as Cornwall, in May, whence its name of May Bird. When on migration it flies 

 higher than at other times, as is the case with all birds, but as a rule its flight is low and quick, 

 with its wings held bent and motionless as it alights. Its note is a whistling "titterel," 

 repeated seven times, from which it receives its names of Titterel and Seven Whistler ; it 

 owes its more popu'ar name to the ** whimbrel," which its note is also said to resemble. The 

 female is larger than the male. The nest is a mere hollow in the ground, generally near the 

 sea, lined with a few heather twigs and grass blades, and containing four pyriform eggs. 



The Curlew — Dimensions, Ra ; Eggs, Qo — is to be found on the coast all the year round. 

 Its bill is very long but its tongue is rather short. It is a very warj' bird, with a stately walk 

 and a swift flapping flight, ending in a long glide as it settles. Its cry is the wild scream of 

 " cur-lew." The female is larger than the male and her bill is longer in proportion ; in winter 

 she also resembles the male in being nearly white below. The nest is a hollow in the ground 

 on a heath or moor near the sea. It is lined with a few twigs and leaves, and contains four 

 eggs which are not pyriform. 



Nyctala. Plate xiii. STRIGIDM. 



167. iengmalmi, 9 in. Tengmalm's Owl. Brown above, lightly spotted 



with white ; greyish white below, barred with 



brown ; feet with long white feathers. 



Tengmalm's Owl — Dimensions, Id ; Eggs, Ii— has its home in the far north, and has now 



and then straggled here in a very cold winter, cither on its way to the south or on its return 



to the north. This owl is remarkable for having one ear larger than the other, not only 



externally but internally. 



Nyctea. Plate kiii. STRIGIDM. 



165. scandiaca, 24 in. Snowy Owl, Plumage white, barred with blackish 



brown ; disk incomplete ; 29 remiges, third primary 



longest, first equal to the fifth, and second equal to 



the fourth ; feet feathered. 



The Snowy Owl — Dimensions, Rf j Eggs, Pl — occasionally appears in this country when 



an unusually severe winter drives it from its home within the Arctic Circle. It flies more 



swiftly and less buoyantly than any other owl ; and it does not hoot, but cries " krau-aw ! " 



Nycticorax. Plate xvii. ARDBIDM. 



209. griseus, 24 in. NiGHT Heron. Crown black ; plumes white ; 



bill black ; six powder down tracts ; wings and 

 tail grey. 

 The Night Heron — Dimensions, Qr ; Eggs, Mc— was first noticed in this country in 1782, 

 and has been recorded about once every two years since then. _ It is quite a globe-trotter, and 

 has been reported from all quarters, except Australia, where it » ■ represented by a brighter- 

 coloured species. It has a noiseless flight, and a noisy cry, described as a mournful 

 qua-a,*' otherwise "cow-ow." 



