ESKIMO OUELEW 125 



Julianehaab, Fiskenaesset, and Jacobshavn). A specimen was re- 

 corded in 1854 by Kjiirbolling from Iceland and one was taken near 

 Seville, Spain, May 3, 1872. 



Egg dates. — Alaska and Mackenzie: 11 records, May 31 to July 

 10; 6 records, June 14 to July 1. 



NUMENIUS BOREALIS (J, E. Forster) 

 ESKIMO CURLEW 



HABITS 



The story of the Eskimo curlew is just one more pitiful tale of the 

 slaughter of the innocents. It is a sad fact that the countless swarms 

 of this fine bird and the passenger pigeon, which once swept across 

 our land on migrations, are gone forever, sacrificed to the insatiable 

 greed of man. " The Eskimo Curlew and its Disappearance," by Prof. 

 Myron H. Swenk (1915), tells the story; it is well worth reading, 

 but space will permit only a few quotations from it. Edward H. 

 Forbush (1912 and 1925) also gives a very good account of the 

 tragedy. In some of the following paragraphs the reader will find 

 many references to its former abundance and the extent of the 

 slaughter which exterminated it. So we shall consider here only 

 the period of its rapid decline and some of the causes which pro- 

 duced it. 



Professor Swenk (1915) says of its disappearance in the West: 



In Texas the Eskimo curlew came in immense flocks on the prairies from 

 1856 to 1875, after which j-ear the Lirge flocks disappeared. Small flocks were 

 seen in 1886 and 1890. The last records of the species for Texas were 1902 and 

 1905, one and three individuals, respectively. The species were first definitely 

 recorded for Kansas from Russell County in 1874. In that State these curlews 

 were abundant as late as 1878, but in 1879 their numbers were much reduced 

 and the birds decreased rapidly. There were still a few in the Kansas markets 

 in the early nineties. The last record is for 1902. Eastwardly in the interior 

 the birds were always uncommon and disappeared early. The last Michigan 

 record is in 1883. The last Ohio record is in 1878. The last Wisconsin records 

 are April 27, 1899, and September 10, 1912, the latter specimen a male taken at 

 Fox Lake, Dodge County, Wis. The last Indiana record is, with some doubt, 

 April 19, 1890. 



The last records of collected birds for Nebraska were made in the spring 

 of 1911 and of 1915. On March 22, 1911, while Mr. Fred Geiger was shoot- 

 ing ducks near Waco, York County, two of these birds came flying by within 

 gun range, and both were shot by him. The birds were identifled by an old- 

 time hunter, and were then brought to Lincoln, and mounted by Mr. August 

 Eiche, in whose collection they are at present. Although no Eskimo curlews 

 were noted in 1914, a single bird was killed about 10 miles due south of Nor- 

 folk, Nebr., on the morning of April 17, 1915. The bird was alone when taken. 

 It came into the possession of Mr. Hoagland, who had it mounted by Allabaugh, 

 a taxidermist of Omaha, in whose shop I saw it in May. 



