460 



COMMON THICK-KNEE. 



Length eighteen inches : the whole of the 

 upper parts of the plumage are grey-brown, with 

 a deeper longitudinal spot in the middle of each 

 feather; the throat, belly, and thighs, are pure 

 white : the neck and breast reddish, with longi- 

 tudinal brown stripes : on the wing is a longitudinal 

 band of white ; the first quill having towards its 

 middle a large white spot, and the second a very 

 small one on its outer web : the base of the beak 

 is bright yellowish, the tip black : the orbits, 

 irides, and feet, are bright yellow : the knees are 

 much swollen, from whence the name. The young 

 and females are much the same, but duller in ap- 

 pearance. 



Thick-knees inhabit only the most open, hilly 

 situations ; large corn-fields, heaths, and such like, 

 are their favourite resort, particularly dry and 

 stony lands. They are abundant in France, Italy, 

 and other southern parts of Europe, but in Ger- 

 many, Holland, and England, are somewhat scarce ; 

 in the latter country, Norfolk, Hampshire, and 

 Lincolnshire, are the places most frequented : 

 they are also tolerably plentiful in some parts of 

 Kent, affecting the rising slopes and hills on each 

 side of the valley between Dartford and Farning- 

 ham : in the north they are never found, and 

 rarely beyond Dorsetshire in the west. During 

 the winter of 1807 several were observed on the 

 Start promontory, which is nearly the most southern 

 part of the kingdom. 



This species is migrative, making its first ap- 

 pearance about May, and remaining with us all 



