AUSTRALIAN CURLEW. 
AdvM female. General colour of the upper-parts dark grey and brown, some of the feathers, 
particularly on the wings, margined with white ; the feathers of the back and 
scapulars dark brown margined with paler brown ; rump, upper tail-coverts and 
tail regularly barred with dark brown and grey, the latter tipped with white ; 
lesser wing-coverts almost black with white or pale margins, medium and greater 
coverts somewhat paler ; bastard-wing and primary-coverts black ; primary- 
quills dark brown notched with white on the inner web, the first three uniform 
on the outer web, the remainder mottled with light-coloured spots on the outer 
web and tipped with white, the shafts straw-coloured ; secondaries brown notched 
on both webs with white ; head and hind-neck brown, the feathers margined with 
grey ; forehead, lores, and sides of face minutely streaked with brown and white ; 
throat almost pure white ; fore-neck and chest more coarsely streaked ; abdomen 
and under tail-coverts paler and more inclining to white and the shaft-streaks 
narrower ; some of the under tail-coverts narrowly barred with brown ; axillaries 
and under wing-coverts barred with brown and white ; bill dark brown, tip black, 
base of lower mandible flesh-white ; iris brown ; tarsi and feet leaden-blue. Total 
length 650 mm. ; culmen 187, wing 317, tail 122, tarsus 93. 
Adult male. Similar to the adult female but smaller. 
Adult in summer-plumage has distinctly rufescent edges to the feathers. 
h'est and Eggs. 
“ Breeds in Southern parts of Eastern Siberia, as far west as Southern Baikal and 
Upper Olekina (tributary of the Lena) and as far north as about 56-57° N. 
on (Lena) Olekina.”* 
Mr. J. P. Rogers when at Derby, North-west AustraHa, found these birds 
common, being in parties from two up to about twelve, and although they 
were wild they often flew within gunshot. “They were usually seen on the 
beach. Early in March, 1911, at Point Torment north of Derby, many single 
birds were seen, and by the 20th of the month they were noticed in small flocks. 
At Sundoion on that day eight birds flew along the beach towards the open 
sea, they were in a line and at equal distances apart and high up. They travelled 
straight doWn the sound until they were out of sight. They were identified 
by their call. This is the first time I have seen these birds behaving in this 
manner. As a rule flocks have always flown in an irregular scattered way, 
each bird taking his own course and not following a leader. 
“ By March 27th hundreds were seen at Point Torment, and they were 
not so wild as in December, January, and February, in which months there 
were only a few about, which appeared to be the resident birds of this locality, 
as they were always in the same place and got to know me and kept far out 
of gunshot. In fact all waders were more numerous towards the end of March 
and much more tame. 
“ This species was usually on the beaches and mud flats, but at high tide, 
especially at Spring tides, used to go out into the samphire on the edges of the 
salt marsh and wait there until the tide was about one third out.” 
• Buturlin, Emu, Vol. XL, p. 96, 1911. 
171 
