The Stone-Curlew. s? 



tlie ear-coverts; primary (longest) quills almost black, tlie second a shade the 

 longest, with a large white patch on the first two ; white tips to a few of the 

 secondary quills ; central tail-feathers of the same colour as the back, mottled 

 with umber, and much the longest ; lateral ones decreasing rapidly in length, with 

 increasingly white bases, several dark bars above the centre, followed by a broad 

 white and an equally broad black tip ; under parts dirty white, browner on the 

 breast, which has dark brown shaft-stripes ; a few narrow stripes on the flanks ; 

 under tail-coverts rusty; legs and feet yellow, claws black. Length 14-17 inches, 

 wing (closed) Sf-gf. The sexes do not differ, but younger birds are less boldly 

 marked, and. have the tail feathers more barred. 



Nestling, above sandy-grey, delicately mottled with pale brown ; under parts 

 buffy-white ; on each side of the head, and down the crown, a black stripe, a 

 similar one down the back bone and on each side of the body ; legs blue-grey. 



The adult described is a Cambridgeshire skin in my own collection ; for the 

 description of the nestling I am indebted to Dresser, (" Birds of Europe," vii, 

 402). 



The nest is a mere depression in the ground, on some sandy or stony upland, 

 in which are laid two eggs, rarely three. Occasionally this bird continues to 

 breed on a favourite ancestral spot after it has been planted with trees — even 

 after the trees have grown up, (see Newton, in Stevenson's " Birds of Norfolk," 

 where, however, it is not stated whether the nest was on a bare spot in the 

 middle of the "flourishing wood," where the trees had "missed fire," or not). 

 The eggs are pale clay colour, spotted and streaked with blue-grey and dark 

 brown; length, 2-2A inches by about if; usually they are not of the typical 

 Limicoline shape, with a very large big end and narrow pointed small end, but 

 .often have the largest diameter nearly, or even quite, in the centre. This same 

 peculiarity may be observed in the other Limicolines which lay less than the 

 typical four eggs. The male bird was ascertained by Mr. Salmon to do all the 

 incubating during the day ; when the female takes a turn has not yet been dis- 

 covered. The bird sneaks off the eggs in a crouching position, the moment any 

 one comes within sight of the nest. Two broods are believed to be reared in a 

 season, and eggs have been found in England as early as the middle of April 

 and as late as September. The eggs and young are very difficult to find. 



The Stone- Curlew is rarely seen away from open unenclosed country. Silent 

 and quiet by day, at night it is active and noisy, especially on moonlight nights, 

 travelling long distances, if necessary, to obtain its nightly drink of water. Its 

 food consists chiefly of insects — beetles, grubs, and earwigs — also slugs, snails, and 

 worms. It has been known to eat field-mice and lizards, and Mr. Newcome ascer- 



