326 ANNUAL KEPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1915. 



curlew," though the latter author recognized two species of curlew 

 as abundant about Hudson Bay from 1769 to 1772, the smaller of 

 which was undoubtedly the present species. In 1790 Latham ^ 

 formally described the Hudsonian curlew and referred the Eskimo 

 curlew to the same genus, but confusion between the two species 

 continued up to the earlier years of the nineteenth century, and the 

 bird described by Wilson - in 1813 as the " Esquimaux curlew " was 

 in reality the Hudsonian, the species rightfully entitled to the name 

 he used being unknown to him. The Hudsonian curlew is a large 

 bird, about 17 inches long, with a bill about 4 inches long, a whitish 

 stripe in the middle of the top of the head and the long flight feathers 

 of the wing barred with buffy; the Eskimo curlew is 2 to 5 inches 

 shorter, with a bill only slightly over 2 inches long, the crown im- 

 striped and the flight feathers of the wing unbarred. 



In the spring migration this curlew passed through the interior 

 of the United States, in the Mississippi Valley, rarely if ever occur- 

 ring on the Atlantic Ocean or its coasts. It first appeared in the 

 United States in Texas and Louisiana during early to middle 

 March. In central Texas Brown ^ noted it at Boerne, Kendall 

 County, March 9, 1880, as a rather common migrant, while in north- 

 ern Texas at Gainesville, Cooke County, it arrived on the average 

 March 17, according to Eagsdale, while its earliest date was March 

 7, 1881.^ In the adjacent comity. Wise, it was noted as late as April 

 2, 1884, while at Caddo, Okla., a short distance across the Eed River 

 from Gainesville, in 1884 it was noted March 25 and was abundant 

 on April 2.^ In Louisiana, where it was a common migrant,^ the 

 last records are for March 17 and 23, 1889,^ while for Arkansas the 

 last record is from Fayetteville, March 31, 1883, on the authority of 

 Prof. F. L. Harvey.^ 



The quadrangle of States to the north — Kansas, Missouri, Iowa, 

 and Nebraska — saw the passing through of these curlews during the 

 last few days in March and during April. By the last of March 

 the vanguard of the birds had reached central Missouri (St. Louis, 

 Mar. 25, 1884,^ and southern Nebraska (Waco, Mar. 31, 1911)^ 

 Curlews were on the St. Louis market April 6, 1885,^ a flock of a 

 hundred birds was seen in Vernon County, southwestern Missouri, 

 April 16, 1894, and a flock of 10 was noted in the neighboring county 

 of Jasper as late as May 2, 1902.^° In central Kansas, according 



1 Latham, J. Index Ornithologicus, 2, p. 712, 1790. 



- Wilson, A. American Ornithology, 7, 1813. 



3 Brown, N. C. Bull. Nuttall Ornith. Club, 7, p. 42, 1882. 



* Cooke, W. W. Bull. 35, Bureau of Biological Survey, pp. 74-76, 1910. 



E Cooke, W. W. Bull. 2, Division of Economic Ornithology, p. 98, 1888. 



•= Beyer, G. E., Allison, A., and Kopman, H, H. Auk, 25, p. 179, 1908. 



^ Porbush, E. H. Game birds. Wildfowl and Shorebirds, pp. 416-432, 1912. 



8 Howell, A. H. Bull. 38, Bureau of Biological Survey, p. 32, 1911. 



» Eiche, A. Proc. N. O. U., v, p. 31, 191 1. 



10 Widmann, O. Trans. Acad. Science, St. Louis, p. 75, 1907. 



