Oct. 1888.] 



AKD OOLOGIST. 



153 



The Shore Birds of Cape Cod. 



BY .lOIIN C. CAHOON. 

 (Concluderl.) 



Long-billed Curlew, \iimcniii.i longirosCris, 

 (Wils.) A rare spriri}; and autumn niigiant. 

 On the 27th of August, 1883, 1 saw two of these 

 birds on the "(^uivet Marsh" at Hrewster, but 

 was unable to get within shooting distance of 

 them. .Several seasons ago an uncle of mine 

 while on a maish at Harwich in early autumn, 

 saw three of these birds fiy over the Tuarsh and 

 easily distinguished them by length and curve 

 of their bills. 'J'his is Ihe latest record 1 liave 

 of their occurrence. About thirty years ago it 

 was very comniou in fall migrations and was 

 not uncommon as late as twelve years ago. It 

 is the largest as well as the most wary of the 

 shore birds that visit the Cape. It cannot be 

 mistaken for any of the other species on ac- 

 count of its greater size and length of bill. Its 

 bill, which is from four to eight inches long 

 and considerably curved towards the end, has 

 given to it the name of "Sic'kle-biU," by which 

 it Is best known on the Atlantic coast. I have 

 one in my cabinet whose bill is nearly eight 

 inches in length and this was the greatest 

 length of any in a series of sixty specimens 

 taken in Florida. Its habits and food are simi- 

 lar to the species next to be mentioned. 



Iludsoiiian Curlew, Xami'iiiun Jliuhmiicus^ 

 (l.ath.) Jack Curlew on Cap(' Cod. A tolera- 

 ble common spring and a common summer mi- 

 giant. It arrives singi}' or in jiairs from the 

 middle to the last of May. It does not seem to 

 be in a hurry to continue its journey and re- 

 mains later, with few exceptions, than any of 

 the other shore birds. I find in my note-book 

 of 188.5 that a pair arrived at Monomoy Island 

 June .'ird and stopped until June 23rd. I saw 

 these birds nearly every day during that period, 

 as they ''tended" (juite regularly certain loca- 

 tions on the flats and beaclies. In tlie summer 

 this bird makes an appearance by tlie loth of 

 July and is fjuite connnon bj' the last week of 

 that month or first in August. It is the most 

 common between the 0th and 28th of Septem- 

 ber, as during this period tlie flights occur. It 

 is, howevei', irregulai' in its api)earance. In 

 coloration and habits it shows a great resem- 

 blance to its long-billed relative, .V. tnni/ii-(istris. 

 It is considerably smaller and its bill is onl}' 

 half as long. This species fre(iuents low 

 beaches and bars, devouring Hies, sand Heas 

 and other insects which it finds about tlie 

 bunches of seaweed throw n up by the tide and 

 wind, and is often seen about the edges of the 



sedge grass on the sand and mud flats feeding 

 on marine worms, shell fish and small fiddler 

 crabs. It goes on to the salt marshes adjoining 

 the beaches or Hats to rest and feed during the 

 greater part of the flood, and the first of the 

 ebb tide. On the marshes it feeds on snails, 

 grasshoppers .iiid black crickets, which are 

 numerous at these pbu'es. Altbougli not a 

 wary bird, in the sumiiicr and aiituiiiri it Hies 

 higli, and its notes not being easj- to imitate, a 

 small number only are taken. I have, quite a 

 number of diH'ereiit times, shot iiidivi<Iuals on 

 the flats by walking boldly up towards them 

 until within shooting distance, being in plain 

 sight of them while approaching. I have a pair 

 of adult birds in my cabinet that were secured 

 in this manner on ''Brewster Flats," in August, 

 1883. 



Eskimo Curlew, Xumcnius borealis, (Forst.) 

 Dough-bird on Cape Cod. A rare spring and 

 common summer and fall mig'ant. The bird 

 rarely, if ever, visits the Cape in the spring and 

 I do not know of one instance of its being taken 

 or seen. This is one of the birds that is the 

 most irregular in appearance on our coast. It 

 is seen at intervals from July ITith to October 

 1st. The occurrence of this bird in any great 

 numbers depends entirely upon the wind and 

 weather, for if we have a heavy gale from the 

 east or south-east of a few day's duration dur- 

 ing the latter part of August, or in September, 

 we are sure to have one or more flocks stop. 

 As soon as the wind shifts about so as to be 

 favorable for their southward migration most 

 of the number will depait but a few individuals 

 will remain for a considerable length of time. 

 There were a great many flocks of these birds, 

 in company with Golden Plover, passed over 

 the Cape in the latter part of August, 1883. I 

 saw large flocks high in the air Hying in over 

 the land in a south-easterly direction at Brews- 

 ter. 1 learned of quite a number of Kskimo 

 Curlews being taken at Kastham, Orleans, and 

 other localities at this same date. In Se])teni- 

 ber of the same year I found them common on 

 Monomoy Island, and heard of their being so 

 at Chatham. Since that time there have been no 

 flights of any consequence, and for the past 

 three seasons they have been quite scarce. 

 They fre(iueut old fields and pastures, often 

 several miles from the shore, and feed on ber- 

 ries, grasshoppers, crickets and other insects. 

 They occasionally go on to the dry salt marshes 

 and there too they find ;in abundance of grass- 

 hojjpers and insects. On Monomoy Island they 

 are found on the sand hills about the gray moss 

 that covers a large portion of the Island. I 



