OOD\M / 



.Nuttall says : " Fn>m the middle of August ! the iN'-inning of 8epleiuler. lh.-\ 

 the viciniiy of Ma->.i.-|iii^.u- H.,\. :ui<| ..ili.-r pan- \ V u Knirland. fn-ijm -1111111: tin- pa>tun-s 

 a* well as marshes, and fatt.-n n gras-hop|N-rs and l-Tries, till the linn- of their dejiartuiv. 

 about the close of September. and they wholly dis.ipp.-ar fn.in New .l.-ise\. mi their wu\ t-> 

 tin- Smth. early in tli.- month of V. \.-mlN-r." 



TIIK KsqiiiMAirx CI-RLKW (Numtniu* bareaUl). 'I'liis sj>ecie8 inhabit* the middle and 



north. TII (Nirtionsof America. Sup]Nisi-d nut In IN- found north of tin- Uocky Mountain- It 

 bn-eds within the ArcUc Circle, and is niigrat'. i \ through tin- I nit.-d state-. when- it seldom 

 \vint.-i-. and never bn-ed-. It migrates in immense inuiilterH through the Missouri region, in 

 M.i\. Flocks <>f iv.. in fifty to several hundreds are seen at such ti ..... s mi th. |.niri.->. 

 l'i Ooaes' deli^litful <l.-x-ri|.ti..ii \v,. will ( juote: 

 I'll.- Cui-l.-ws :ixN,N-iat.- in ll(k> of V.TV .sia-, but tlu-y p-m-mlly fly in > loose and 



-n:i-jlilU' a liialin.-l-. llial il I- l-il.- I., kill n i.. I'.- than lial f a .I.-/..-H :il a -In. I. \\ IK-II 1 1|.-\ li.-.-l. 

 however, in an\ ..f tln-ir many U-autiful evolution*. I hey <-lo*v tn^.-th.-r in a more .-..in|,a.-i 

 lKly. Tlieir HJKht i^ linn. <lini-l. v.-ry swift, when ne<-esHiu-y much iirotnu-Unl, and is \ i 

 with regular, rapid IteaLt. They never sail, except when aln.ut to alight, when tin- 

 are inm-h incurved downward, in the inunner of most waders. As their feet touch the 

 around, their long. |Miint*d wingsan> niis-<l over the back until the tips almost touch, and 

 then delilierately folded, much in the manner of the solitary sand pi INT. Their not in an 

 often n'lN-uN-d, soft, mellow, though clear, whistle, which may be easily imitated. . . . When in 

 Mve tl(N-ks. they have a note which, when uttered by the who!*: number. I can com- 

 pare to nothing but the chattering of a lot of blackbird-. When wounded and taken in hand. 

 tln-\ emit a very loud, harsh scream, like that of a common hen under such circumstances. 

 Curlews are must excellent eating, and an- favorite game. This bird Is called by the gunners 

 of the seacoast, Short-billed Curlew. It wa- <>nct> thought to IN- the same a.- the English 

 \Vhinibrel. Wilson says that the Esquimaux Curlew arrives in large flock* on the wacoast 

 of New Jersey, early in May. They are commonly seen mi the mud-flats, in company with 

 other waders, and at high water roam along the marshes. They fly high, and with great 

 rapidity. A few are s-en in .lime and a.s late as the lN-ginning of July, when they generally 

 move off to the South. Their apjN-arance on tho-e <H-ca-imis i- very mien-sting. They collect 

 together fnnn the marshes, a.s if by premeditated design, rise to a great height in the air. 

 ii-ually about an hour Itefore sunset, and forming one vast line, keep up a constant whistling 

 on their way to the North, as if conversing with one another. Their flight is then mon- 

 regular, presenting a beautiful spectacle. This bird is eighteen inches in length, and thirty- 

 i\\c. inches in extent of wing. The bill is four inches and a half long." 



A species, called the l?i:i-u.i I>-IIIII;IIKD CURLEW (Numeiiiux lahatiensi*), is found a- a 

 straggler in Alaska. The ffnmeniu* pkctoptis is casual, according to several records, in 

 Eastern North America. 



AT first sight the WIIIMHKKI. looks something like a diminutive curlew, save that the bill 

 is not so long, so thick, nor so sharply curved as in the preceding species. On account of this 

 resemblance it is in some places known by the name >f Half Curlew, and in others it is called 

 the Jack Curlew, or by the popular name of Tang-Whaap. 



Two species of Godwite are known in Europe, the Common, or Bar- tailed, and the 

 Black-tailed GodwiL These birds maybe known from each other by the jH-culiaiity fnnn 

 which they derive their name, the one species Mug distinguished by the uniform black hue 

 of the hitter two-thirds of the tail, and the other by the brown and gray bars which cross the 



tail feathers. 



THE MARBLED OODWIT (Limoaf<tda) is found in all parta of the sea-coast of temperate 

 North America, Central and South America, and the West Indies. Dr. Couee says : " The 



