SNIPES, SANDPIPERS, ETC. 



253 



\\ hv should the Inni,'. slender bills of the Cur- 

 lew and the Ibis he bent downward? ( )ne mi^bt 

 as well ask why the similar bills of the (lodwit 

 and the Avocet should be bent ujiward and those 

 of the Woodcock and the Snipe remain almost 

 straight. These questions never have been satis- 

 factorily answered. They remain amonsj the 

 fascinating' problems of ornitholoL,fy yet to be 

 solved. 



The Hudsonian Curlew, or Jack Curlew, as it 



August and reach their maximum numbers there 

 late in the month. 



When feeding they usually scatter about over 

 the ground, moving slowly and sedately, except 

 when in pursuit of some particularly lively 

 prey. Berries they pick from the bushes with 

 their bills. Thev feed in fields where grass- 

 hoppers abound and in blueberry patches. Along 

 the coasts, where the species is most common, 

 the flocks frequent flats, beaches and low grassy 



Drawinfj by R. I. Brasher 



HUDSONIAN CURLEW ij nat. size) 

 It is extremely shy and difficult to stalk 



is commonly called l>v gunners, is an illustration 

 of the Darwinian theory. It has survived, while 

 other species have disappeared, because it was 

 fitter — better able to avoid the hunter. No bird 

 is more exposed to persecution, as it migrates the 

 entire length of North and South America, from 

 the Arctic Ocean to the Straits of Magellan, but 

 it frequents j)Iaces rather remote from the centers 

 of civilization, breeds in the Far North, is ex- 

 tremely shy and difficult to stalk, and so perpet- 

 uates its race. 



The main lines of its migratii)n are down the 

 east and west shores of both continents but there 

 is also a scattering flight through the interior. 

 Little is known al>out the liird's breeding habits 

 but as soon as the young are grown the slow 

 migration begins. The main flight moves from 

 the west coast of Hudson Ray to the .shores of 

 New England and southward. The birds appear 

 on the islands of the St. Lawrence River earlv in 



hills not far from the sea. When flying to or 

 from their feeding grounds they usually pass 

 about thirty yards high, except on windy days, 

 when they fly close to the ground or water. In 

 New England they feed at the edge of the water 

 or wade in shallow pools picking up their food 

 with the head apparently held sidewise. Fiddler 

 crabs and the large gray sand spiders form an 

 important part of tlieir diet. These Curlews 

 also consume June bugs and other beetles 

 and some worms. They are sometimes seen 

 singly, flving and circling high in air, and occa- 

 sionally a small flock is noted migrating like a 

 flock of Geese or Ducks. Formery they were 

 numerous on Cape Cod and Nantucket, but 

 now-a-days most of them pass out to sea, though 

 manv stili visit the marshes of the Carolinas. In 

 sjjring thev have a soft, rather mournful call. 

 cnr-lnv, and the alarm note is pil^-pip-pip-pip. 

 Edw.xrd Howe Forbush. 



