176 CURLEW. 



neck and back ash-colour; on the latter a cast of green, and a little 

 yellow; wings dark beneath ; above blue, inclining to black ; the 

 lesser wing coverts violet; tail cuneiform, twice the length of the 

 bill ; body somewhat larger than that of a Hen ; thighs ash-colour; 

 the legs, toes, and the membrane between them blackish : in other 

 respects it had all the characteristic marks of the Tantalus.* 



Inhabits the parts about the Cape of Good Hope, in considerable 

 numbers about Zwart-kops-rivier ; the same called by the Hottentots 

 Takai kene ; lives on roots and bulbs, which it digs up with the 

 bill : is a shy bird, and roosts on trees at night; is sometimes seen in 

 great flocks, flying against the wind, which is said to be a sign of 

 rain ; is called by the colonists Hagedash and Hadelde, supposed 

 from the note of the bird. 



B. — Haddedas, Barrow's Trav. p. 264. 



Mr. Barrow describes it as having the beak black ; ridge of the 

 upper mandible and upper part of the toes red ; the head, neck, and 

 abdomen cinereous blue; wings and tail deep violet blue; the back 

 feathers green, edged with dusky brown ; shoulders and covering 

 feathers of the wings of a metalline lustre, and iridescent. 



Seen about Sea-Cow River, among others, uttering the most 

 horrid screams that can be imagined. 



7.— WHIMBREL. 



Numenius Phteopus, Ind. Orn. ii. 711. Tern. Man. 390. Id. Ed. 2d. 605. Klein, 109. 

 2. Id. Stem. 24. t. 24. f. 4. 



Scolopax Phaeopus, Lin. i. p. 243. Faun. Suec. No. 169. Gm. Lin. i. 657, Scop. i. 

 No. 132. Brun. No. 159. Muller, p. 22. Frisch\ t.225. Kram. p. 350. Georgi, 

 171. Boroiosk. iii. 87. Faun. Helv. Sepp, iv. t. p. 305. Lin. Trans, xiii. p. 191. 



* Does he mean that the face was naked ? if so, it should certainly be ranked with the 

 Tantalus or Ibis ; but this is not mentioned in his description. 



