HUDSONIAN CUELEW 



447 



if not totally, extinct. With a breeding ground on the Arctic shores 

 of our continent, and a migration route which is chiefly coastal, and a 

 habit of moving about in small flocks, combined with a wary disposi- 

 tion, the Hudsonian has been able to cope more successfully than 

 either of the other two with altering conditions and new dangers. 



In California the Hudsonian Curlew is an abundant spring and 

 fall migrant along the coast and through the Sacramento-San Joaqviin 

 Valley. The northward movement begins in late February, as Tyler 

 (19136, p. 30) has noted the species in the vicinity of Fresno about 

 this time; but the bulk of the birds does not appear until a month or 

 so later. The last birds in the spring usually pass northward along 

 the coast of southern California in early May ; a flock of twenty-five 

 was seen at Nigger Slough, Los Angeles County, as late as May 25, 

 1907 (Willett, 1912a, p. 39). During June small flocks have been 



3997 0.0. 



Fig. 74. Side of bill of female Hudsonian Curlew. Natural size. 

 Note much smaller size as compared with female Long-billed Curlew (fig. 7.3). 



noted near Santa Barbara on June 2, 4, 9 and 25 (Bowles and Howell, 

 1912, p. 10; Dawson, 1915, p. 207). It is a question whether or not 

 such birds are really enroute to their breeding ground; more likely 

 they are non-breeders lingering here throughout the nesting season, 

 to go back south with the return stream of their fellows. 



Migrants, unquestionably southbound, appear early in July, num- 

 bers of birds having been observed along the southern California 

 coast by the tenth of that month (Willett, loc. cit.) ; they become com- 

 mon by the middle or latter part of the month. This movement lasts 

 until well along in September by which time the bulk of the species 

 seems to have passed, although some linger until the middle of October, 

 and a flock w^as seen at Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo County, in 

 November, 1891 (A. K. Fisher, 1893a, p. 24). There is no evidence 

 of the wintering of the species north of the Mexican line, unless the 

 capture of a single bird on Santa Cruz Island, December 8, 1907 

 (Linton, 1908&, p. 126) is of significance in this regard. 



The Eskimo Curlew {Numenius horealis) has been reported from 

 California three times (Heermann, 1859, p. 66; Holterhoff, 1884, p. 

 393; Swenk, 1915, p. 31) ; but the first and second records are cer- 



