406 VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF LAKELAND 



flight of these birds arrived early in September 1889; I long 

 watched them feeding on the mud near Port Carlisle on Sept. 3. 

 Ten days later a man named Storey killed four of these Godwits 

 at a shot on the Wampool. Mr. Nicol killed another on the 

 16 th of the month. Thus it will be seen that in a period of 

 five years, 1884-89, at least ten young birds were seen and 

 eight killed; but none were obtained in the years 1881, 1882, 

 1883, 1890, so that the total for nine years is identical with 

 that for five years. In winter the Black-tailed Godwit is a 

 rare bird on any part of the British coast. I picked a fine 

 examine out of a bunch of Bar-tailed Godwits shot near Bow- 

 ness, January 1st, 1889. The species has been obtained also in 

 summer dress upon our salt marshes. Bailey, a Carlisle bird- 

 stuff er, now deceased, once possessed two red Black -tailed 

 Godwits; another, in Mr. Doeg's collection, was shot near 

 Burgh in May 1876. On the 24th of July 1890 Mr. A. 

 Wilson came across two full-dressed adult Black-tailed Godwits 

 on Skinburness marsh. He shot one, which I have identified. 

 He further assured me that its companion was precisely similar. 

 Probably those birds were resting on autumnal migration. 

 This Godwit is a comparatively early breeding bird on the 

 Continent ; Mr. Wilson's birds may, therefore, have reared 

 their young before starting on their journey westward. The 

 bird obtained had not commenced to moult, but wore the rich 

 livery of the season of love. 



COMMON CURLEW. 



Numenius arquata (L.). 



The Curlew nests on the mosses in the neighbourhood of 

 Morecambe Bay, in the Rusland valley, on the high moors 

 around Tebay, on the fells above Appleby, on the mosses of the 

 Solway, and the fells of Caldbeck and the Lake Mountains, so 

 that it is widely distributed inland during the summer-time. 

 The birds arrive upon the moors where they breed towards the 

 end of March, and begin to lay about a month later. The 

 clutches are generally full by the end of the first week of May • 

 in June you find the grey-legged, short-billed, downy Curlews 



