HUDSONIAN CURLEW 



confiding, unsuspicious nature of all but some 

 of the larger species, has made this family one 

 of the greatest sufferers from hunting. One 

 American species is extinct in consequence 

 and several others have been brought near 

 that condition. The killing of most of the 

 species has been made illegal in the United 

 States and Canada and some protection for 

 them in the Central and South American 

 regions to which they migrate would be very 

 desirable. It is difficult to imagine a more 

 degraded and degrading form of " sport" 

 than firing into a flock of the gentle little 

 creatures, which, when many of their number 

 have been so killed, are as likely as not to 

 circle around and alight again within range 

 of the gunner, and most of which are too small 

 to afford more than a mouthful of meat, if 

 indeed they are killed for any other purpose 

 than the pleasure that slaughter of beautiful 

 and harmless creatures affords such people. 

 It is only fair to the Panamanians to say that 

 those most frequently guilty of it are not the 

 natives of that Republic. 



i. Numenius hudsonicus Latham 

 Hudsonian Curlew. "Chirela" 



Ph&opus hudsonicus, RIDGWAY, Birds of N. and M. 

 Amer., VIII, p. 402, 1919. 



Sexes alike. Length, 458 mm. (18.00 in.); 



tail 95 mm. (3.75 in.). Crown dusky brown with 



a buff central stripe ; rest of upper parts blackish 



brown mottled with buff; sides of head and neck 



62 



