62 Bird -Lore 



these birds is on the ground where they have been feeding, they become scat- 

 tered, twenty-five or thirty birds covering fifteen or twenty yards apiece. At 

 such times they do not appear to be particularly active, moving about in a 

 rather slow, stately manner, although I have once in a while seen them run." 

 On their inland resorts they prefer to frequent the shores of lakes, ponds, and 

 marshes, but are frequently seen on the upland pastures, feeding on grass- 

 hoppers, insects, or berries. 



The flight of the Hudsonian Curlew is rather slow and steady, but strong 

 and protracted. When migrating, they usually fly high in the air in small 

 flocks, much after the manner of Ducks and Geese. During the spring migra- 

 tion on the coast of South Carolina, they congregate in immense flocks, some- 

 times numbering several thousand, where they feed about the shores of the 

 islands off the coast, roosting on the outer sand-bars, and flying to and from 

 their feeding grounds in dense flocks, often close to the water. On the New 

 England coast, they seldom fly in large flocks and are often seen flying singly, 

 circling high in the air, and responding readily to an imitation of their whistle. 



It is useless to attempt to stalk the adult birds, and they will not come to 

 the decoys unless the blind is well concealed in the beach grass or among bushes. 

 Young birds, on the contrary, are quite unsuspicious and will decoy well. 

 When coming to the decoys, they set their wings and scale for a long distance, in 

 open formation and scanning the ground carefully. Their keen eyes will 

 detect the slightest movement or the presence of any unusual object, which 

 will cause them to wheel or spring into the air and fly away. 



Their loud whistling notes are characteristic and easily imitated. Mr. 

 jMackay has well described them as follows: "They make two notes, one a 

 ^•ery clear, penetrating, staccato whistle, repeated four or five 

 Notes times in quick succession, and which is very far-reaching. It is 



given when flying, also w'hen alarmed, and on taking flight. 

 The other consists of two low, straight whistles, or notes, when a flock is 

 alighting. Flocks also make a rolling note, lasting as long as it would take to 

 count six or seven. The sound is similar to that produced by a boy's lead 

 bird-whistle filled with water. It is uttered when the birds approach, and are 

 over a marsh or feeding-ground, at an altitude of sixty or seventy yards. I 

 have never heard of its being made by single birds." They also have a soft 

 musical 'Curlew' note, more often heard in the spring. 



