BRISTLE-THIGHED CURLEW 143 



motion pictures succeeded in filming a spirited scene in which a bristle-thighed 

 curlew after a number of attempts accomplished the seemingly impossible 

 feat of carrying away a frigate bird's egg held firmly between its mandibles, 

 while a group of apparently admiring turnstones, robbers themselves but in- 

 capable of such herculean acts of banditry, scurried about in the background. 

 On another occasion a curlew flew up to a red-footed booby's nest in a bush 

 several feet from the ground in the temporary absence of the owner, impaled 

 the egg, and dragged it away to be devoured. The booby was still brooding 

 disconsolately in her empty nest two days later. On another day a curlew 

 deliberately opened an old albatross egg found in the sand and ate eagerly 

 from the putrid interior. As this egg had been lying unprotected from the 

 sun for at least four months previous, its condition may be imagined, yet the 

 bird returned avidly again and again to continue its horrid repast though I 

 approached within 10 feet. 



Voice. — Mr. Conover (1926) says: 



The call and appearance of this species are entirely different from that of the 

 Hudsoniau curlew. The latter gives a very short whistling call, which is 

 roughly as follows : Wlie-wlie-iolie-wlie. The former, on the other hand, has a 

 call very similar to one of the black-bellied plover and sounds something like 

 wJieeeu-whu. In appearance the bristle-thigh is tawnier above and has a very 

 reddish-brown unbarred rump, which is a very good field mark. 



DISTRIBUTION 



Range. — Alaska and islands in the Pacific Ocean. 



Breeding range. — Unknown, but considered probable in northern 

 or northwestern Alaska. 



The bristle-thighed curlew does not seem to be abundant and con- 

 sequently has been under observation at comparatively few points. 

 Specimens have been observed or taken in summer in Alaska at 

 Kotzebue Sound, Hooper Bay, Kobuk River, Lopp Lagoon, and Mint 

 River. One also was taken on St. George Island, of the Pribilof 

 group, on May 26, 1917. 



Winter range. — During the winter they are found north to the 

 Hawaiian Islands (Lisiansky, Laysan, French Frigate Shoal, Bird 

 Island, and Hawaii) ; east to Hawaii, Palmyra Island, Fanning 

 Island, Christmas Island, Marquesas Islands, Society Islands 

 (Tahiti), and the Paumotu Archipelago (Vincennes Island) ; south 

 to the Low or Paumotu Archipelago (Vincennes Island), Cook 

 Islands (Palmerston Island), and probably New Caledonia; west to 

 probably New Caledonia, Phoenix Islands (Canton and Phoenix 

 Island), Gilbert Islands, the Marshall Islands (Jaluit Island), and 

 the Hawaiian Islands (Lisiansky Island). 



Migration. — Early dates of arrival for bristle-thighed curlews in 

 Alaska are : Fort Kenai, May 18, 1869 ; Nome River, May 23, 1905 ; 

 and Cape Mountain, May 28, 1922. 



They have been detected in the Kotzebue Sound region as late as 

 August 26, 1885. 



