A dictionary of British birds : reprinted from Montagu's Ornithological dictionary, and incorporating the additional species described by Selby; Yarrell, in all three editions, and in natural-history journals / compiled and edited by Edward Newman.

George Montagu

Date:: 1866

Credit: A dictionary of British birds : reprinted from Montagu's Ornithological dictionary, and incorporating the additional species described by Selby; Yarrell, in all three editions, and in natural-history journals / compiled and edited by Edward Newman. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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$with meat Jbr a clay or two, when he began to eat worms; but as this was pre- cai-ious food, he was tempted to eat bread and miUc like Ruffs. To induce this sub- stitution, worms were put into a mess of bread mixed with milk, and it was curious to observe how cautiously he avoided the mixture, by caiTying eveiy worm the pond, and well washing it previously to swallowing. In the course of a few days this new diet did not appeal' unpalatable to him, and in Kttle more than a week he became pai-tial to it, and from being ex- ceedingly poor and emaciated, got plump and in high health. In the course of a month or six weeks this bird became ex- cessively tame, and would follow a person across the menagerie for a bit of bread, or a small fish, of which he was remarkably fond. But he became almost omnivorous; fish, water-lizards, smaU frogs, insects of every kind that were not too lai'ge to swal- low, and (in defect of other food) barley with the ducks was not rejected. This very great favomite was at last killed by a rat (as it was suspected), after a short life of two years in confinement; but he had in that time fully satisfied our enquiries into his natural habits. The biU of this bird is stronger than that of the Snixie, or Woodcock, and therefore can be inserted into harder ground, and by being slightly arcuated can sometimes be insinuated where a straight bfil could not. By this useful instrument he also defends himself ■with courage, as we had frequent occasion to observe ours contend for food mth the Shieldrakes, and even with the common Gull; keeping his antagonist at a distance by the length of this weapon. Few of this species breed in the southern parts of England, but we are informed that upon the higher hiUs of Exmoor it usually ap- pears in the spring, and deposits its eggs amongst the heath. [Curlew, Esquimaux; or Curlew, Small.— Numenius borealis, Yarrell, ii. 620. — “ The biR is brownish black, the basal portion of the lower mandible flesh-co- loured ; iiides dai'k brown; sides of the head yellowish bro\^TU, with brown streaks; upper pai't of the head brownish black, edged with reddish brown; neck consider- ably lighter, edged with dull white; upper parts blackish brown, with light edges; primai'y quUls dusky brown, tbe shafts of the first four white, the others becoming dai'ker, passing into pale brown; second- aries lighter; rump dark brown, with light edges; upper t^-coverts barred with dark and light shades; tail, of twelve fea- thers, -ash-grey, with dark brown bars, edged and tipped with brownish wliite; throat and a sti'eok over the eye nearly white ; foreneck light brown, with small longitudinal liver-brown marldngs; under wing-coverts chestnut, with ii-regular brown markings ; breast and abdomen yellowish grey, tinged with brown ; tarsi and feet dark green. The whole length is about fourteen inches ; the bRl two inches three lines ; T\^g, from anterior. bend, eight inches nine hues ; tai’sus one inch ten lines; middle toe almost one inch. — Yarrell, ii. 623. A specimen of this American bfrd was shot in 1855 near Aberdeen.] Curlew, Jack, or Half Curlew.—SeeWhim- brel. Curlew, Knot.—SeeWhimbrel. Curlew, Land. — See Bustard, Tliick- kneed. Curlew, Pigmy. — [Curlew Sandpiper, Tringa subarquata, Yarrell, iii. 50 ; Hew- itson, Ixii. 243.] Scolopax pj'gmsea, Gmel. Syst. ii. p. 655. Numenius pigmseus, Ind. Orn. ii. p. 713,11; Ib. Sup. p. 291, nota o; Gen. of Birds, p. 64,1.11; Boys, Sandwich, t. p. 850; Wale. Sy7i. ii. 1.135; Lewin, Br. Birds, iv. t. 155.—This species is described to be the size of a Lark ; weight near two ounces; length eight inches and a half; the bill one inch and a half long, bent and black; the head, back, and coverts of the wings, mixed with brown, ferruginous, and white; primaries dusky, edged with white; breast, beUy, and ruraj) white; tail dusky; the exterior feathers edged with white; legs black. This is a very rare bird; only two seem to appear on record; one was killed in Holland, the other near Sand- wich in Kent. In this specimen the edges of all the feathers were of a very pale oker instead of white, as Dr. Latham informs us, from whose works we have borrowed this description. Sotplement.—A specimen of this very rai'e bird has been shot in England within these few years, and is now in the col- lection of Mr. BuUock, the proprietor of the Liverpool Museum. This bird does not appear to have any more claim to a place amongst the Curlews, than many others of the genus to which it properly belongs, for it is most certainly a Ti'inga and not a Numenius. The slight arcua- tion of the bUl had doubtless attracted the particular attention of the original dis- coverer of the bird in question; but on tliis account no real grounds existed for sepai’ating it from the Sandpipers, wliich appear to be its true congeners. The Dunlin, the Pun-e, and the Purple Sand- piper, aU have their bills slightly deflected, and perhaps fully as much as this bird,$