668 A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



NUMENIUS BOREALIS 



426. Numenius borealis (Forster)— THE ESKIMO CURLEW. 



Scolopax boeealis J. R. Forster, Philos. Trans., lxii, p. 431 (1772 — 



Fort Albany, Hudson Bay). 



Numenius borealis (J. H. Forster), Yarrell, in, p. 512 ; Saunders, p. 631. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Fore-head and 

 crown sepia, feathers edged pink-buff, most broadly on centre of 

 crown and forming a more or less distinct mesial pink-buff streak ; 

 nape pink-huff, narrowly streaked olive-brown ; feathers of mantle, 

 scapulars, back and rump olive-brown (or black-brown tinged dark 

 olive), plentifully notched and edged pink-buff ; upper tail-coverts 

 olive-brown, deeply notched or barred and edged pink-buff ; eye- 

 stripe light buff or white, faintly streaked olive -brown ; lores and 

 spot in front of eye sepia, feathers of lores narrowly edged pale 

 pink-buff ; small patch below eye, chin and throat white ; cheeks, 

 sides of neck and fore -neck pink-buff, narrowly streaked olive - 

 brown ; breast, sides of belly, flanks and under tail-coverts pink- 

 buff, with bars and subterminal Y-shaped marks of olive-brown ; 

 belly and vent pink-buff, some feathers of belly with small Y-shaped 

 subterminal markings or narrow shaft-streaks of olive -brown ;. 

 axillaries and under wing-co verts light pink-cinnamon, barred 

 olive-brown ; tail-feathers light drab, barred olive-brown, edged 

 and tipped pink-buff, outer ones more or less suffused same ; 

 primaries sepia tinged greenish, paler on inner webs, inner ones 

 faintly tipped white ; secondaries pale olive-brown narrowly edged 

 pink-buff, inner webs sometimes faintly mottled brown ; inner- 

 most secondaries and coverts as scapulars ; primary-coverts 

 sepia, inner ones tipped white ; greater coverts olive-brown 

 narrowly edged and faintly notched pink-buff ; median and lesser 

 coverts olive-brown, edged, and median coverts notched, pink-buff . 

 This plumage is acquired by complete moult from Sept. (very little 

 material examined). Sum.mer. — "No moulting birds examined. 

 Coloration apparently as winter. 



Nestling. — (Not examined.) 



Juvenile. Mole and female. — Resembling adult but feathers 

 of fore-head and crown dark sepia narrowly edged light buff with 

 a light buff mesial streak down crown ; feathers of mantle and 

 scapulars black-brown tinged deep olive and edged at sides (and 

 here and there notched) light buff, back and rump same but notches 

 more or less absent, feathers tipped pink-buff ; under -parts and 

 tail as adult ; wing as adult but innermost secondaries and coverts 

 olive -brown edged at sides and slightly notched light buff ; median 

 coverts pale olive-brown edged light buff. 



First winter. — (Not examined.) 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 205-217 mm., tail 

 75-82, tarsus 40-44, bill from feathers 50-53 (II measured). 2 wing 

 222-226, bill 56-65 (7 measured). Primaries : 1st minute, 2nd 

 longest, 3rd 4-11 mm. shorter, 4th 12-22 shorter, 5th 29-35 shorter > 



