THE CURLEWS. 
317 
but sometimes darker olive-brown than the latter,. Axis, 
2 ‘o 5-2‘3 inches; diam., i’ 45 “i’ 5 S- 
THE CURLEWS. GENUS NUMENIUS. 
Numenitis, Briss. Orn. v. p. 3 '^ 
Type, N. arquatus (Linn.). 
Nine species of Curlews are admitted by ornithologists, of 
which four may be considered to be true Curlews, viz., N. arcua- 
tus N. tenuirostris of the Mediterranean region, N. cyanopus of 
Australia and N. longirostris of North America. All of these 
have the head marked like the back, and do not show a pale 
median stripe along the crown like the other species of the 
genus viz., the VVhimbrels. Taking our common species of 
Whim’brel as the type of the second section, we find five species, 
all of which have the sides of the crown dark, with a broad pale 
band down the centre. The Whimbrels are our own species 
and its eastern race N. variegatus, N. hudsonuus and N. borea- 
lis of North America, and N. tahitiensis of the Pacific Island^ 
Thus it will be seen that the genus Numenius is well nigh 
cosmopolitan in its range. 
I. THE COMMON CURLEW. NUMENIUS ARQUATUS. 
Scolopax arquata, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 242 (1766). 
Auvfenius arquatus, Macgill. Brit. B. iv p. 243 (1852); Dres- 
ser B. Eur. viii. p. 243, pi. 578 (1873); B. O. U. List 
Brit B p 179 (1883) ; Saunders, ed. Yarrell’s Brit. B. 111. 
D 409 (1883I ; Seebohm, Hist. Brit. B. iii. p. 94 (1885); 
Saunders, Man. Brit. B. p. 61 1 (1889); Lilford, Col. 
Fig. Brit. B. part xix. (1891); Sharpe, Cat. B. But. Mus. 
xxiv. p. 341 (iSpb)- 
(Plate XC/r. [.ad-\ Plate XCIIL, Fig. 3 |>«//.].) 
Adult Male in Breeding Plumage — General colour above brown, 
with longitudinal black centres to the feathers imparting a 
broadly striped appearance, the feathers of the upper surface 
bein« notched with ashy or rufous, giving to many of 
scapulars a somewhat barred appearance ; wing-coverts dark 
