KEY TO THE WATER BIRDS OF FLORIDA. 



289 



NUHENIUS HUDSONICUS Lath. 

 Hudsonian Curlew. 



Adult in summer : Bill curved downward ; top of the head brown, with a stripe of huffy 

 white through the middle ; rest of upper parts dark brown ; feathers pale on tiie edges, giving a 

 slightly mottled appearance to the back ; chin white ; throat and breast streaked and faintly 

 barred with brown and white ; belly dull white ; an imperfect superciliary stripe. 



Adult in winter : Similar to the last, but showing much more tawny mottled on the upper 

 parts, and the under parts paler; a superciliary stripe of dull white. 



Length, 17.50; Wing, 9.20; Tarsus, 2.30; Bill, 3 to 3.75. 



Common in North America, south in winter to South America and the 

 West Indies. Breeds in the far North. 



It is one of the well-known birds on the Atlantic coast, occurring dur- 

 ing the migrations. 



This species may always be distinguished from the Esquimo or Long- 

 billed Curlew by the buffy stripe on the middle of the crown. The eggs are 

 described as three or four in number, grayish olive spotted with brown. 



