796 
Birds of Celebes; Charadriidaev 
b. Mesoscolopax minutus (1) Starpe, Oat. B. 1896, XXIV, 371, 7o5. 
For further references cf. Salvador! 8\ Sharpe hi. 
Figures and descriptions. Grould ZZ, a 4', Temm. & Schl. all', Salvad. 8, Dresser a 5 
(diagn.); Seebohm 11 (diagn.); Sharpe b 1. 
Description. Head above dark brovm, varied with buf£-broTO edgings; mantle, scapu- 
lars and tertiaries dark brown, with buff-brown side-notches and tips; middle and 
greater wing-coverts much the same, but with more whitish motthngs; lowei 
back and rump dark broAvn ivith whitish tips, the upper tail-coverts with whitish 
tips and notches; tail pale brown, with about 8 dark bars; lesser wing-coverts, 
alula, primary-coverts and remiges dai’k brown; lores and superciliary stripe 
buff, ear-coverts browner; under surface huffy, with streaks of brown on the 
neck all round, taking the form of narrow sagittate and brace-shaped bars on breast 
and sides; the under wing-coverts and axillaries buff with na^ow bars, “iris 
black; bill fleshy (coloured) at the base, olive-brown at the tip; feet bluish lead- 
colour^ (Gould a 4); wing 180 mm; tail 75; tarsus 50; mid. toe with claw 32; 
exposed culmen 45 (“5”, Java: v. Schierbrand 0 12375). 
Female. The female is described by Taczanowski (17) as having the top of the head 
more strongly varied with fulvous than the male, the streaks on the sides of the 
head finer and less numerous, the outer web of the lateral rectrix yellow in the 
clear spaces. 
Young. The young has not yet been described; probably it is much lilce the adults, but 
has the tertiaries, scapulars, etc. spotted, rather than notched, with buff-brown. 
Eggs. Unknown. 
Distribution. East Siberia from Dauria to Lake Baikal (Dybowski & Godlewski 17), 
Mongolia (David 7); Japan (Siebold a IZ, Fryer a 6, 13)', Formosa (Swinhoe a 3)', 
Clfina (Swinhoe, David, etc. 7, 8, 14, 16)', Java (v. Schierbrand); North Celebes 
(fide Schlegel 4, Kiedel ff*"'®); Batchian (Wallace 8); Amboina (S. Muller 3, 8); 
? Mysol (v. Rosenberg 8); Aru (fide Schl., 4, 8, Ribbe 3); Australia (Gould II, 
a 4, Ramsay a 7). 
The Little VSZhimbrel has been recorded only twice from Celebes, \iz. by 
Schlegel, who received an example, or examples, from the North of the island 
subsequently to publishing his catalogue of the Scolopaces in 1864, and by 
Briiggemann from Gorontalo, where it was obtained by Riedel. It seems to 
be altogether a somewliat rare species. Gould only once encountered a flock 
in Australia, but Dr. E. P. Ramsay is able to note its occurrence at a number 
of different points in the country. In the breeding season, Godlewski (ll) 
observed it in Dauria, but did not find it breeding, as the traveller did not 
at this time visit the vast steppes covered with a feeble vegetation where the 
bird then takes up its quarters. Seebohm in 1890 could record only two 
examples from Japan. It has been more abundantly observed in China as a 
spring and autumn migrant; Mr. De La Touche remarks that, according to the 
native wild-fowlers, it is common during the spring passage near Foochow. In 
the East India Archipelago the records of its occurrence are of an isolated 
character. 
Numenius minutm is at once distinguishable from the other Curlews found 
in Celebes by its small size and small slender bill; its lower back and rump 
