HUDSON IAN CUELEW 449 



When a floek of these birds is on the ground where they have been feeding, 

 they become scattered, twenty-five or thirty birds covering fifteen or twenty 

 yards' space. At such times they do not appear to be particularly active, 

 moving about in a rather slow, stately manner, although 1 have once in a 

 while seen them run. During such times I have occasionally noticed one or 

 more birds fly away from the flock, although undisturbed. At other times 

 I have seen a single one or a pair pass over the flock which was resting on 

 the ground and neither pay the slightest attention to the other. . . . 



When passing to and from their feeding grounds they usually fly at an 

 altitude of about thirty yards, unless it is quite windy, when they keep within 

 a few feet of the ground, or water, if they are passing over it. I have seen 

 them flying only a few feet above the water during their migration south 

 in July. As the season advances the birds frequent the beach grass near the 

 shore, and at such times the j'oung birds can be driven up to with horse and 

 wagon; but rarely, if ever, can the adult birds be so approached. . . . When 

 on migration they fly similarly to Geese and Ducks at such times. ... I have 

 never seen . . . young birds in flocks on Nantucket Island [Massachusetts], 

 nor associated with the adults, there usually being not over five or six birds, 

 or even less, together. 



. . . When noted in the spring it is generally on very fine, warm, and 

 clear mornings. They are seldom seen in stormy weather, but usually before 

 it. That these birds are powerful and enduring fliers is evidenced by their long, 

 pointed wings (Mackay, 1892b, pp. 348, 349, writing from Massachusetts). 



In througli flight, the flocks pass high overhead in regular forma- 

 tion, often in the form of a V. The individuals show a slow steady 

 beat of the wings. If they wish to drop lower they glide for some 

 distance on set wings. 



Tyler (1913&, p. 30) says that in their migration through the 

 Fresno district they arrive in small numbers late in February and 

 become numerous a month later. 



Their favorite resorts are large open fields where shallow ponds occur, 

 and in such places they often gather in large numbers. I have no definite 

 record of this species remaining in spring later than May 7 (1912). . . . 



On the last day of one April I encountered a large flock of curlews in a 

 grain field, part of which was being flooded at the time with irrigation water. 

 . . . Approaching to within sixty yards of the big fellows as they stood bunched 

 at the water's edge, I concealed myself as best I could. . . . The nervous lisp- 

 ing that at my approach threatened to break into the clamorous, screaming 

 flight calls finally subsided and the birds fed and waded about in the water 

 or preened their feathers while standing stork-like on one leg. Suddenly T 

 was thrilled with a medley of subdued pipings. ... A strange nervous unrest 

 seemed to affect the entire group on the ground. The whistlings became 

 louder and . . . [presently] a curlew call from over head drew my attention 

 to a flock of new arrivals, nine in number, that were circling preparatory to 

 joining the company at the pond. . . . Mere specks they appeared, and yet 

 their melodious call rang clear and distinct. 



Of the Hudsonian Curlew as observed at Santa Barbara, Cali- 

 fornia, in recent years, Torrey (1913, pp. 33-35) says: 



