OTHER SNIPES AND SANDPIPERS 305 



XI. — THE ESKIMO CURLEW 



This is the smallest but most abundant of the curlews. 

 Its bill, like the others, is long and curved downward. 

 It is much like the Hudsonian, only smaller, the length 

 of the former being seventeen inches and of the latter 

 about thirteen inches — the length of the woodcock, it 

 will be remembered, is nine and a half to ten inches. 



The Eskimo curlew, when migrating in the spring 

 and early autumn, are found in immense numbers on 

 favorite feeding grounds in the Missouri region. Dr. 

 Coues saw numerous flocks containing fifty to several 

 hundred birds on the prairies along the road between 

 Fort Randall and Yankton. They were scattered 

 everywhere, dotting the prairie with the Bartramian 

 sandpipers and golden plovers in large loose flocks, 

 which, as they fed, kept up a continuous low piping 

 noise as if conversing with each other. 



They respond to the whistle and come well to de- 

 coys. They are rapid flyers, but fly so closely together 

 that it is possible to kill quite a number at a shot. The 

 smaller flocks decoy better than the larger. They are 

 excellent table birds when found on the Western 

 prairies, since, like the Bartramian sandpiper, they are 

 fond of grasshoppers, which, as we have observed, are 

 excellent food, giving even to the sage-grouse a fine 

 flavor. They also eat berries and small snails. They 

 are more abundant in the West than on the coast. 



XII. — THE PECTORAL SANDPIPER 



I have no hesitation in admitting the pectoral sand- 

 piper to my list of game. Although much smaller 



