252 



10 



occasions the birds remain congregated on it until the feeding-grounds they had left are once 

 more exposed by the ebb, and then return to them ; but from their being easily alarmed, though 

 without sufficient cause, they are usually frightened away. I have noted on one occasion that, 

 after waiting patiently here for nearly an hour after high water, the report of a swivel-gun at no 

 great distance, though not within several ' shots ' of their bank, alarmed them ; and though their 

 hour had almost come for spreading themselves over the oozy banks, they rose en masse high 

 into the air, and took their flight towards the entrance of the bay. Five Herons, rising from the 

 banks at the same time, followed them in a flock." 



My friend Dr. E. Rey writes to me that he has measured twenty-five eggs, which average 

 67 - l by 47 , 3, the largest measuring 75-5 by 47*5, and the smallest 60-0 by 45'5 millimetres 

 respectively. In my collection I have a considerable series of eggs from Finland, Scandinavia, 

 and Scotland, which in colour vary from light greenish spotted with small dark umber-brown 

 surface-blotches and purplish brown underlying shell-markings, to dark olive-brown, almost 

 covered with dark umber-brown blotches, which are especially numerous at the larger end. 

 The richest-coloured egg I possess is one I procured at Haukipudas, near Uleaborg, Finland, on 

 the 31st of May, 1861. In size my series of Curlews' eggs vary from 2f ^ by Iff to 2|-J by Iff. 



Mr. Benzon, writing from Copenhagen, says that very few ever remain to breed in Denmark, 

 but some stragglers are said to breed on the west coast and the islands in the Cattegat. He 

 himself possesses no Danish-taken eggs. 



The adult birds figured and described are in my own collection, and the nestling in that of 

 the Marquis of Huntley, to whom I am indebted for the loan of it to figure. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. H. E. Dresser. 



a, 6 , b, $ . Skara, Sweden, May 1870 (Meves) . c, 3 . Pagham, Sussex, July ; d. Pagham, April 24th, 

 1872; e, /. Pagham, autumn (R. B. S.). 



E Mus. J. H. Gumey,jun. 



a, 2- Greatham, Durham, January 14th (/. H. G.,jun.). b, <3 . Wolsingham, June 22nd (C. J. Backhouse), 

 c, 2 . Blakeney, August 5th (/. H. Gurney,jun.). d, $ . Greatham, January 16 (/. H. G.,jun.). 



E Mus. Lord Huntley. 



a, b,pull. Aboyne, Scotland. 



E Mus. J. E. Harting. 



a, ? . Sussex, May 9th ; b,c, 2 . Lincolnshire, February; d, 2 ■ Sussex, September (J.. E. H.). e, J . Durham, 

 January (/. H. Gurney, jun.) . f, g, 3 . Sussex, September (J. E. H.) . h, 2 • Flintshire, July (/. Gosford) . 

 i, 2- Marocco, winter (Olcese). k, <s . Walvisch Bay, October (Andersson) . I, 2. Natal, winter (Ayres) . 

 m, 2- Madagascar, winter (Van Dam), n, 6 , o, 2- Amoy, December; p, 2- October (Swinhoe). 



E Mus. Brit. Beg. 



a, d- Sussex, b, g . Athens. c,<$,d,2. Zoulla, Annesley Bay, January; e, 2- Cape of Good Hope; /, £• 

 South Africa (Smith), g, d , h, $. Nepal, winter; i, ?. India (Major Johnstone). 



