MAEBLED GODWIT 285 



P. A. Taverner (1926) writes: "Their loud exasperating eradica- 

 radica-radica-radica varied with Y our-crazy -crazy -crazy and con- 

 firmed by Korect-korect sets all the prairie on the alert." 



John T. Nichols says in his notes : 



A bird flying toward decoys gave a single un whistled note, hanlc, likely the 

 flight note of the species in migration. Alighted, it had a short, unloud note, a 

 goose-like honk, especially when other shore birds flew past (Long Island. 

 August). The few godwits of any species that I have seen in migration have 

 mostly been silent. 



Field marks. — The marbled godwit is so large and so well marked 

 as a big brown bird that it is likely to be confused with only one other 

 bird, the long-billed curlew.. It nearly equals the curlew in size, and 

 the rich cinnamon color in the wings is conspicuous in both species, 

 but the long, curved bill of the curlew serves to distinguish it, even 

 at a considerable distance, and the notes of the two birds are quite 

 different. At short range the shape of the head, the long, slightly 

 upturned bill, pinkish buff on its basal third, and the bluish-gray legs 

 are distinctive marks. 



Fall. — As soon as the breeding season is over, or even before all 

 the broods are fledged, the marbled godwits begin to gather into 

 flacks and become much more wary. Even as early as June 27, 1906, 

 we saw as many as 36 birds in one flock, but as we did not see any 

 young birds among them we inferred that these must have been birds 

 whose eggs or young had been destroyed. As I have always had to 

 leave for the East before the southward migration began I am unable 

 to give any information on this subject from personal observation, 

 but Dr. Louis B. Bishop has kindly placed at my disposal his notes 

 relating to this movement. 



At Stump Lake, North Dakota, in 1902, he noted on July 28 a flock 

 of about 100 marbled godwits, chiefly adults, all that were taken 

 being old birds; and on July 30 he saw a flock of about 50, which he 

 assumed to be composed chiefly of young birds, all that were taken 

 being in juvenile plumage. At the same locality in 1905 he saw on 

 .Inly 26 a flock of about 40, both adults and young, all that were col- 

 lected being young birds; on August 2, all of these birds had disap- 

 peared. This exact locality, a sandy point at the western end of the 

 lake, was visited only on the above dates. These birds were undoubt- 

 edly migrants, as they were not known to have bred in that vicinity. 



After I had left Saskatchewan, Doctor Bishop visited the breeding 

 grounds of the marbled godwits, and on July 3, 1906, found adult 

 birds tolerably common, but they had all departed two days later. 

 At Big Stick Lake, from July 18 to 21, 1906, he saw large flocks 

 of adult godwits containing hundreds of birds, but on July 22 very 

 few were left. He also writes that adults reach the North Carolina 

 coast in the middle of July, as he has in his collection adults taken 



