NATURAL HISTORY. 387 
whalebone. The tongue is fhort; the head, and 
greateft part of the body, is black: The tail confifts 
of twelve white feathers; the legs are very long, of 
4 fine blue, and featherlefs higher than the knee ; the. 
webs are dufky, and very deeply indented. 
_ Nature has fo peculiarly formed the bill of this 
bird, to enable it to fcoop out of the fand the worms 
and infects, on which it feeds. It lays but two eggs, 
which are about the fize of thofé of the pigeon, of a 
ae colour, tinged with{ green and ipotted with 
ack. 3 
‘Thefe birds are frequent!y feen, in the winter, on 
the eaftern fhores of England; in Gloucefterfhire, 
“the mouth of the Severn ; and fometimes on the lakes 
of Shropfhire. They have a lively chirping note, 
‘and very frequently wade inthe waters. 
— fod MEMEMEaoy— 
CURLEW, 
ba: 
HIS bird is, in length, from the top of the bill 
to the end of the claws, twentynine inches. and the 
breadth between the extreme points of the wings, 
when extended, is three feet four inches: The bill, 
which is nearly fix inches long, is narrow, a little 
crooked, and of a dark brown colour ; the legs are 
long, bare and of a duiky blue, witha thick mem- 
brane meeting at the firft joint, and marked with ir- 
regular brown {pots. 
_ ‘This bird is ofa greyifh colour, and the fleth — 
rank and fifhy, notwithflanding the Englith prover 
in its favour. hey frequent fea coafts in large flocks 
in the winter time, walking on the fands, in fearch of 
their prey, which confifts of crabs and other marine’ 
infects. In the fummer they retire to the mountaig- 
ous parts of the country, where they pair and breed. 

