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NUMENIUS TENUIEOSTEIS. 



(SLENDER-BILLED CURLEW.) 



Numenius tenuirostris, Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. viii. p. 302 (1817). 

 Numenius syngenicos, Von der Miihle, Orn. Griechenl. p. Ill (1844). 



Courlis a lee grSle, French; der dunnschnablige Brachvogel, German; de Gevlekte Wulp, 

 Dutch ; Chiurlottello, Italian ; Magarico, Portuguese. 



8 pileo rufescenti-brunneo, plumis medialiter nigro striatis : loris cum supercilio et facie laterali albis brunneo 

 longitudinaliter striatis, genis brunneo punctatis : collo postico albicante, brunneo striato : dorsi plumis 

 fulvescenti-brunneis, parte mediana saturate brunnea : dorso postico et uropygio pure albis, boc brunneo 

 striato : tectricibus alarum pallide brunneis, albo variis : ala spuria brunnea, albo terminata : remigibus 

 brunneis, scapis albidis, secundariis pogonio interno albo fasciatis, et externe albo maculatis : cauda 

 alba, transversim irregulariter brunneo notata : gutture et abdomine pure albis : corpore subtus reliquo 

 albo passim punctulis parvis brunneis longitudinaliter notato : hypochondriis maculis majoribus pyri- 

 formibus distincte punctatis : subalaribus et subcaudalibus albis : rostro brunneo, versus basin isabellino : 

 pedibus plumbeis : iride brunnea. 



$ mari similis sed conspicue major et rostro multo longiore. 



Male. Above brown, tbe bead as well as the back and scapulars tinged with buff, the centre of the feathers 

 being darker brown, the edges lighter ; back of the neck greyish white, longitudinally streaked with 

 rufous brown ; lower part of the back, rump, and upper tail-coverts pure white, the latter marked with 

 lines of brown ; wing-coverts pale brown, mottled with white ; primary coverts dark brown, tipped with 

 white ; quills brown, the shafts whitish, the secondaries irregularly banded with white, the innermost 

 secondaries very dark brown, waved indistinctly with paler brown, and edged with white ; tail white, 

 irregularly banded with brown ; lores, a distinct eyebrow, cheeks, and ear-coverts white, striped with 

 little lines and specks of brown ; throat pure white ; lower part of the throat and breast white, streaked 

 with distinct brown markings down the centre of the feather, the sides of the breast being very distinctly 

 spotted with large pear-shaped markings; lower part of the breast, abdomen, under wing- and tail- 

 coverts, and axillary plumes pure white ; bill brown, the lower mandible flesh-colour at the base ; legs 

 leaden grey; iris brown. Total length 14 inches, culm 2'75, wing 9 - 3, tail 3 - 8, tarsus 2*1. 



Female. Similar to the male, but larger, and has the bill much longer and the spots on the breast very 

 plain and thickly distributed. Total length 16 - 7 inches, culm 3 - 4, wing 9'7, tail 3 - 8, tarsus 2'35. 



The Slender-billed Curlew is of about the same size as the Common Whimbrel (Numenius 

 2)hceopus), but is at once to be distinguished by its pure-white axillary plumes, these being barred 

 with brown in the last-named bird. The Whimbrel is very differently coloured also, and we 

 cannot understand how there has occasionally arisen a difficulty in distinguishing between the 

 two species ; besides the brown colour of the head, the absence of the very distinct pear-shaped 

 markings on the flanks will at once serve to separate the Whimbrel from its more beautiful 



