COMMON CURLEW. 
27 
Brit. Zool. ii. 176. Pult. Cat. Dors. p. 14. Wale. Syn. n.p. 
133. Leimn. Brit. Birds, iv. pi. 153, Mont. Orn. Diet, and 
Sup. Betv. Birds, ii. p. 54. 
The Common Curlew has all the phmiage of the 
upper parts bright ash-colour ; with brown longitu- 
dinal dashes on the neck and breast ; and many of 
the feathers on the last tinged with red : the belly is 
white with longitudinal oblong spots : the feathers 
on the back and scapulars black in the middle and 
edged with rufous : the tail is of a whitish ash-colour, 
transversely banded with brown : the quills are black, 
spotted on their inner webs with white : the legs are 
blueish grey : the irides hazel : the upper mandible 
of the beak is dusky brown, the under flesh-colour. 
The sexes are very similar, but the female differs 
slightly in having the colours less distinct, and the 
red hue that borders the feathers of the back and 
scapulars less pure. 
This bird is extremely common in most parts of 
Europe, and it also occurs in several parts of Asia ; 
it usually inhabits the borders of rivers and muddy 
lakes, fields, and stony places near the water : it 
breeds in the sequestered parts of the mountains of 
Northumberland, and also in the low swampy grounds 
of some of the Scotch islands. It makes no nest, 
but usually deposits four pale olive brown dusky 
spotted eggs amongst heath, rushes or long grass : 
the young run as soon as hatched. The principal 
food consists of small crabs, worms, snails, and in- 
sects ; in the winter it is gregarious, and is at all 
times very shy and difficult to approach j but will 
