THE ESKIMO CUELEW SWENK. 339 



the bird was a male and that it had been hit with a single shot only, 

 so it has made a handsome specimen, which Mr. Hoagland will 

 retain in his possession. About the same day that this specimen was 

 killed, a brother of Mr. Mont Wheeler, of Norfolk, reported seeing 

 five Eskimo curlews at about the same spot. These birds were not 

 disturbed, but their occurrence was reported to Mr. Hoagland and, 

 through him, to me. 



Even in these latter captures and observations, when the birds 

 were nearing extinction from incessant persecutions, they were very 

 unsuspicious and apparently fearless. They flew away leisurely in 

 close, compact flocks, so that they could scarcely be missed when 

 shot at, and a single discharge would bring down many of the birds. 



The occurrence of eight and the killing of seven of these birds 

 near Cartwright, Labrador, in August and September, 1912, and 

 the collecting of a male specimen on September 10 of that same 

 autumn while flying alone over decoys along the shore of Fox Lake, 

 Dodge County, Wisconsin, have already been mentioned. A speci- 

 men was observed on the Bermuda Islands, according to Kennedy, 

 on January 20, 1913.^ On September 5, 1913, a specimen was col- 

 lected at East Orleans, Massachusetts, it being alone when taken.^ 

 These recent records for the Eskimo curlew would indicate that it 

 is probably not yet wholly extinct. 



In the spring flight these curlews arrived at the same time as the 

 golden plover, though they did not always frequent the same locali- 

 ties. The Eskimo curlew was always uncommon in the fall migra- 

 tion in Nebraska. Most of the observers who have furnished me 

 data on this bird (Messrs. Bruner, Wheeler, Hoagland) have never 

 seen it at that season, but Mr. Elwood thinks he remembers having 

 seen the birds some time in October, and Mr. A. J. Leach thinks he 

 remembers their passing through southwardly about October 1. 

 Aughey ^ records a specimen sent him from Bellevue for identifi- 

 cation in October, 1874, and states that he had observed the species 

 in northeastern Nebraska in that month. 



The Eskimo curlew had several notes. During flight they uttered 

 a fluttering "tr-tr-tr" note, which was given by many individuals 

 at once, and described by Coues as a "low conversational chatter" 

 and by Mackay as " a soft, melodious whistle, ' bee, bee.' " Mr. W. A. 

 Elwood describes this note as " a short, low whistle " continually 

 repeated by many of the birds simultaneously Avhile in flight. Mr. 

 A. J. Leach recalls the notes as resembling quite closely the note of 

 the bluebird when in flight, only perhaps shorter and more of a 

 twittering whistle, and, as it was given by a large number, perhaps 



1 Kennedy, J, N. Ibis, ser. 10, 2, 1914. 



2 Lamb, C. R. Auk, 30, p 581, 1913. 



3 Aughey, S. 1st Rept. U. S. Entomological Comm., Appendix, p. 55, 1878. 



