Place and
Manners*
V ariety.
Description.
inner webs with white: tail reddilh white, barred with black:
legs dulky blue.
Male and female much alike.
This fpecies is pretty common in England, where it is to be
met with at all feafons : in the winter haunting the fed coafts and
fen s; repairing in fummer to the mountains and more inland
parts, to breed. The female in April lays four eggs, of a pale
olive-colour, marked with brownilh fpots. The food, while in the
neighbourhood of the fea, confifts of worms, marine, cruftaceous,
and other infefts; at other times it feeds on flugs and worms, which
it draws out of the earth morning and evening with its long bill.
It is often met with in large flocks, and flies rather fwiftly. It'
is by many accounted good food, but is apt to have a rank
tafte *. It is alfo found in moft parts of Europe; but in general
retiring north to breed, and returning to the foath as autumn
approaches. Met with in Italy and Greece, and perhaps much
farther to the fouth, as flocks are feen palling over the ifland of
Malta fpring and autumn f . To the north it is found in plenty,
in all the plains and open marlhes, or heath grounds, of RuJJia
and Sibiria ; alfo in Kamtfchatka, and in Europe as high as Lap-
mark and Iceland £.
H E Curlew is alfo found in America, but differs in fome
particulars j weighing from fourteen to eighteen ounces, and
twenty inches in length. The bill is a trifle longer in proportion
: the ground colour of the plumage pale rufous brown :
• I believe only when on the fea coafis ; feveral which I have tailed, killed
inland, were very good.
f Hiß. des Ci f %% AArrüü.. ZZooooll..
the
the crown of the head dulky black: the chin very pale: neck
dalhed with ftreaks of black: back and fcapulars black; the
feathers of the firfl: margined, and of the laft .fpotted on the
edges with the ground colour*: the wing coverts dalhed down
the lhafts with black, ending in a point: the three firfl: prime
quills black; the fourth barred within; the reft, on both Tides the
lhafts, with black 5 as are the rump, tail coverts, and ta il: the
under parts, from the breaft, very pale' reddilh brown, or creamcolour:
legs black.
I received a fpecimen of this from New Tork. Sir AJhton
Lever is likewife in pofleflion of a fécond from Hudfon's Bay,
where it is feen on the coafts and marlhes, the end of May : when
the rivers are open, returns to the plains. It fcrapes a few Mattered
leaves together by way of neft, on which it lays as far as ■
three eggs, of a light blue fpotted with black : the young hatched
in July. They retire again to the marlhes the middle of Augujl ;
and leave the coaft on the appearance of winter. Our laft
voyagers met with the Curlew at Hervey’s IJlaqd in. the South
Seas *.
Place and
Manners.
Scolopax Madagafcarienfis, Lin. Syji, p. 242. 2. 2.
Le Courly de Madagafcar, Brif. Orn. v. p. 321. 3. pi. 28.—PI. Enl. 198. MADAGASCAR
C.
g I Z E of our Curlew. The bill much the fame, but very little
bent, except towards the tip : on the head, neck, and upper
parts, the feathers are chiefly brown, with grey margins : the
upper tail coverts rufous grey, marked with fome tranfverfe
bands of grey, and others parallel to the margin: chin, belly,
Description.
V01. III.
Cook's laß Voy. i. p. 220.
R thighs.