412 
BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 
752. NUMENIUS ARQUATUS. 
THE CURLEW.. 
Scolopax arquata, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 242. Numenius lineatus, Cuv. Regne 
Anim. i. p. 521 ; Hu7ne, S. F. i. p. 237 ; Bl. B. Burm. p. 155 ; Armstrong, S. F. 
iv. p. 341 ; David et Oiist. Ois. Chine, p. 457 ; Hume 8f Dav. S. F. vi. p. 460 ; 
Hume, 8. F. viii. p. 112 ; Scully, S. F. viii. p. 356 ; Begge, Birds Ceylon, p. 906 ; 
Oates, S. F.x.i^. 239. Numenius arquatus, Jerd. B. Ind. ii. p. 683 ; Dresser, 
Birds Eur. viii. p. 243, pi. ; Hume, S. F. iii. p. 182. 
Description. — Winter plumage. The whole head, neck and breast white^ 
tinged with grey_, each feather with a long narrow dark -brown streak down 
the centre ; remainder of the lower plumage white, the sides of the body- 
very broadly, the abdomen and under tail-coverts sparingly streaked with 
dark brown ; back, wing-coverts, scapulars and tertiaries dark brown, each 
feather edged with pale or Avhity brown; rump white, streaked with 
brown ; upper tail-coverts white barred with brown ; tail light brown 
barred with dark brown ; primaries dark brown, mottled with white on the 
inner webs ; secondaries brown, notched with white on the edges of both 
webs ; shaft of first primary white, the others gradually turning to 
brown. 
In summer the lower breast and flanks are marked with roundish brown 
marks. 
Iris dark brown ; bill leaden brown, darker near the tip ; legs and toes 
leaden brown. 
Length 23 inches, tail 4*5, wing ITS to 12"3, tarsus 3'4, bill from gape 
5 '8 to 6*4. These are the measurements of several birds shot in Burmah. 
The female is on the whole larger than the male ; but both sexes vary 
much in size. 
On inquiring of Mr. Harting whether in his opinion N. lineatus was 
distinct from N. arquatus of Europe, he has kindly informed me that the 
former is merely the winter and the latter the summer plumage of the 
same species. A point which has afforded much matter for discussion for 
many years past is thus satisfactorily settled by our greatest authority on 
the Limicolse. Although many writers have refused to accord specific rank 
to N. lineatus, not one of them I believe has given any reason for it, except 
that the two species graded into each other ; and the question that the 
differences between the two supposed species were seasonal has never 
before, I think, been raised. 
The Curlew is generally distributed over the Province, being found 
chiefly on the sea-coast and in those rivers which are tidal. Capt. Feilden 
procured it at Thayetmyo ; but I have never seen it away from the neigh- 
bourhood of the sea. Mr. Davison found it along the whole Tenasserim 
