CURLEWS. 489 
great compression of its large beak, which in the South American race tends to 
curve upwards at the tip. 
Mainly coast-birds, although frequently ascending rivers for a long distance 
inland, oyster-catchers derive their name from their habit of feeding largely upon 
bivalve molluscs, the shells of which their compressed beaks are admirably adapted 
for prising open. The same efficient instrument serves for detaching limpets 
from their hold on rocks, and extracts marine worms and other creatures 
from their burrows in the sand. 
Ibis-Billed Nearly allied to the members of this genus is a remarkable bird 
Oyster-Catcber. f r om Central Asia (Ibiclorhynchus struthersi ) distinguished by the 
beak being curved down in the manner of that of an ibis. The beak and feet are 
red, the front of the head black, and the general tone of the remainder of the 
plumage olive. 
Curlews and Although evidently related to the preceding genera, the curlews 
Wbimbreis. belong to the second section of the subfamily, in which, at least for 
the lower portion of its front half,. 
the metatarsus is covered with large 
scutes; and they are defined by this 
feature, coupled with the circum¬ 
stance that the long beak is so 
arched that the chord drawn from 
the base to the tip will pass below 
the inferior border of the lower 
mandible. The curlews have moder¬ 
ately long and slender necks, with 
the beak generally longer than the 
metatarsus, although this is not the 
case with the Eskimo whimbrel 
(Numenius borealis ) and the least 
whimbrel {N. minutws). In the 
legs a large portion of the tibia is 
devoid of feathers, and there is a 
small first toe. As a rule, only the 
lower portion of the front of the 
metatarsus is covered with scutes; 
but in the least whimbrel this segment of the leg is thus protected on all sides. 
The wings are moderate and pointed, with the first quill the longest, and the tail 
is squared. The plumage is coloured with various shades of brown and buff, pro¬ 
ducing a mottled appearance, recalling that of the thicknees, and is evidently adapted 
for protective resemblance. With the exception of the two species above mentioned, 
all the curlews have pale bars on the inner webs of their primary quills. Curlews 
are represented by nine species, two of which have well-marked local varieties; and 
during the breeding-season are confined to North America, Europe, North Africa, 
and Asia north of the Himalaya, although in winter they have a cosmopolitan range. 
The common European curlew (N. arquatus ) is a large bird 
Various Species. meagur j n g f r0 m 21 to 26 inches in length, which may be diagnosed 
COMMON CURLEW. 
