192 THE GAME BIEDS AND WILD FOWL 



Family CHAEADEIIDiE. Genus Numenius. 



Subfamily ToTANINM, 



COMMON WHIMBREL. 



NUMENIUS PH^OPUS— (Lmw^ws). 



Scolopax phceopus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 243 (1766). 



Numenius phceopus (Linn.), Macgill. Brit. B. iv. p. 253 (1852) ; Dresser, B. Eur. viii. 

 p. 227, pi. 576 (1873) ; Yarrell, Brit. B. ed. 4 iii. p. 507 (1883) ; Seebohm, Hist. 

 Brit. B. iii. p. 100 (1885) ; Dixon, Nests and Eggs Brit. B. p. 274 (1893) ; Sbarpe, 

 Handb. B. Gt. Brit. iii. p. 322 (1896) ; Seebohm, Col. Pig. Eggs Brit. B. p. 133, pi. 45 

 (1896) ; Sbarpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxiv. p. 355 (1896) ; Lilford, Col. Pig. Brit. B. 

 pt. xxxii. (1896). 



Geographical distribution. — British : The Common Whimbrel is 

 known only to breed on the Orkneys and Shetland s, most numerous on the latter, 

 and on North Eonay in the Hebrides. Elsewhere in the British Islands it 

 occurs on migration, and during the spring and autumn flights is pretty generally 

 distributed along the coasts. Comparatively few remain with us through the 

 winter, whilst immature and non-breeding birds may be seen in still smaller 

 numbers during the summer. I have met with them on St. Kilda during June. 

 Foreign : Northern and western Palsearctic region in summer ; Ethiopian region 

 in winter. It breeds in the Faroes and Iceland, and occurs accidentally in 

 Greenland. It is a summer visitor to Scandinavia, breeding on the fells and 

 moors above forest growth ; thence it appears to be locally distributed at this 

 season through Lapland and the remainder of North Eussia, and is said by 

 Sabanaeff to be common on the Ural Steppes. It passes along the entire coast- 

 line of Europe during migration, as well as by some of the inland routes, and 

 also occurs on passage in Northern Africa, wintering in Arabia, the Azores, 

 Canaries (where it is observed all the year round) , Madeira, and on the coasts of 

 tropical Africa, as well as in some few interior districts. It is said that a few 

 young non-breeding birds are found in their African winter quarters during the 

 northern summer, but the southern limits of the Whimbrel are by no means 

 accurately determined, and possibly the bird visits these remote antipodean areas 

 to breed from a winter base in the Primogasan realm. 



Allied forms. — Numenius phceopus variegatus : Eastern Palsearctic region 

 in summer ; Oriental and Australian regions in winter. Breeding range not very 

 definitely known, but probably extends from the valleys of the Obb and the 



