NU MENTUS UEOPYGIALIS, Gould.
Australian Whimbrel.
Numenius uropygialis, Gugld'in'True. ul'Zuol ;r)(i*7'P,iil VI
Mafi’ do-vieidtt Abo^igines.of Poj't Essingtoa.
is somewhat smaller than the Numenius Phaeopus of Europe, and-rnoreover differs in having
.the jjjmii barred ami mottled inste id ul H|llTiH) t f i lf e to So similar
tliat a description ot oii^uqulri'dpply' with m irUKJjuShsS^'utTy ro rhe utluj .^tlie Australian bird is how-
brown than its 1 ueopean ally.
It is ihstidiut((l-au r Hu‘ llh ih ot \u-trilli is will is Van Diemen’s Land, wherever localities occur
suitable ton its hrJjEtarjyhn hrare so pjecisely similar to thotafogthe Numenius Phrsopus, that a description o f
them is iiintenmnecfoiiaiw.
It is generally met with in largiyflm Its. m swampy districts on thg.hffnks of rivers andalf sM K gitgation&t
I killpil -ei< i il'spe^jipigis on- lip Hunter- in’ t'Jaw South Wales,ffiwlugm newer succeed in discovering its
eggs, whi ini ƒ ynh r r ln t f i r tin ~nurnuso oi ipcub.jii it bi t Jn*-r itSjjfc tn tlui interior of the country.
'1 hi 'i \ ijs in soiltreyvJj dike, that by fjjssection alone can we distinguish the one from the other,
« b w u it thf hi idljrrnsu mth wn irr m. irregul ir slnpi i7fylnffl\TwfimStawrt the centre: lores and lines
behind the <y( hi own, hne‘,qsA£tiiOyi peck and breast h p ffy f^ tjs with a brownsraM down the centre
of each feather, the brown colour predominating: centre of the baqlr'arigd^pulary'ftathers dark olive,
spntli <Y tin th n r upjrain'wjtlr'hghr bgfl, wing-coverts the same, bnt TighlK^^Od: ;^^anfeing a mottled
appearance ; primaries blackish brown with light shafts; ramp and upper tail-coverts barred with brown
and white; tail pale browigy blurred with dark hyl\yj!‘;,£chirii^low'er part of the abdomen and under tail-
cov( ri s white bill blackish horn-colour, fleshy _yt die h i-e; feet greyish bldek'. *
The'Plate represents the'two sexes of the natOrtd size.-’ -