SCOLOPACIDAE— WHIMBREL.
257
no less than seventy-five of these very wary birds at once, as I am informed hy
Mr. Fitch.
Whimbrel: Numenius phaeopus. Locally, " Titterel," " May-
bird," or " Jack-Curlew " (Orsett).
Common on the coast as a passing migrant in spring and autumn,
when on its way to or from its northern breeding-stations. They
are often seen until the
end of May, and re-ap-
pear soon after the mid-
dle of July. It is occa-
sionally seen inland.
Sheppard and Whitear say
(9. 42), " these birds arrive
on the coasts of Essex and
Suffolk early in May, and
migrate again in the latter
part of the autumn." In
1880, Mr. Travis received a
specimen found in a field
near Newport with one wing
off, it having flown against
the telegraph-wires. Edward Doubleday wrote in 1835 (15) that it had been
killed at Sewardstone. The Rev. J. C. Atkinson writes (36. 122): "It is seen,
in no great numbers, on many of our coasts in winter ; but I have met with it on
the Essex Saltings only in the early spring and previous to its retirement to the
north to breed."
Parsons has many observations on their appearance in his neighbourhood on
migration. In spring he has many notes of them between the end of April
and the 23rd or 24th of May : for instance, 1836, May 16, "a very large flock of
forty or fifty about the lower marshes, New England." 1837, May 23rd, "saw
some up the Ray." 1838, May 23rd, " many about; " 29th, "saw only one to-day."
They seem usually to re-appear in the autumn about or soon after the middle of
July, though in 1834, he " saw some on the sands" on June 28th. In 1843, he says
that a few had arrived on July 14th, and a great many on the 24th (22).