ESQUIMAUX CURLEW. 101 



The Esquimaux Curlew is eighteen inches long, and thirty- 

 two inches in extent; the bill, which is four inches and a half 

 long, is black towards the point, and a pale purplish flesh co- 

 lour near the base; upper part of the head dark brown, divided 

 by a narrow stripe of brownish white; over each eye extends a 

 broad line of pale drab; iris dark coloured; hind part of the neck 

 streaked with dark brown, fore part, and whole breast, very 

 pale brown; upper part of the body pale drab, centred and bar- 

 red with dark brown, and edged with spots of white on the ex- 

 terior vanes; three first primaries black, with white shafts; rump 

 and tail-coverts barred with dark brown; belly white; vent the 

 same, marked with zigzag lines of brown; whole lining of the 

 wing beautifully barred with brown on a dark cream ground; 

 legs and naked thighs a pale lead colour. 



The figure of this bird, and of all the rest in the same plate, 

 are reduced to exactly one-half the size of life. 



Note. Mr. Ord. in his reprint of the 8th. vol. expresses 

 his doubts of this species being the Esquimaux Curlew (N. bo- 

 realis] of Dr. Latham; as this ornithologist states his bird to be 

 only thirteen inches in length, and in breadth twenty-one; and 

 the bill two inches in length. 



Prince Musignano, in his observations on the nomenclature 

 of Wilson's Ornithology, states that he has ascertained the N. 

 borealis, LATH, to be a distinct species, and promises to figure 

 it in his American Ornithology. He considers Wilson's bird 

 (N. borealis] to be the N. Hudsonicus of Latham. 



