304 SHORE BIRDS 



IX. THE LONG-BILLED CURLEW 



This bird is the giant among waders. It is nearly 

 three times as large as the Wilson's snipe. The long- 

 billed curlew fly in an angular order, like the wild 

 geese, a single bird at the point of the angle leading. 

 Their loud, shrill cries are well imitated by the profes- 

 sional bay-men and some sportsmen, and they come 

 readily to the decoys when the call is well imitated. 

 As they come flapping up or sail on extended wings 

 they present a large, easy mark similar to ducks hover- 

 ing over decoys, but far easier. Elliot describes kill- 

 ing a pair of these birds from a flock passing overhead, 

 when the others returned to their wounded compan- 

 ions, flying over and around them, and says repeated 

 discharges failed for a time to drive the unwounded 

 away. The flesh has the same sedgy or fishy taste 

 when these birds are taken along shore, but is better 

 when they are shot on the Western prairies. 



X. THE HUDSONIAN CURLEW 



The Hudsonian curlew, popularly known as the Jack 

 curlew, nests in the far North and returns to the States 

 with the other waders toward the end of summer. It 

 is not numerous anywhere and is the least abundant of 

 our curlews. It has many local names, such as crooked- 

 bill marlin, whimbrel, horsefoot-marlin, etc. They are 

 fairly good to eat and are always shot by sportsmen 

 when the opportunity is presented, as it now rarely is. 

 Elliot says the birds were once abundant in New 

 Jersey. 



