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NUMENIUS LONGIROSTRIS (Witsoy). 
THE LONG BILLED CURLEW. 
Specific Character.—The largest American species of this genus. Bill very 
long, much curved, upper mandible longer than the under, somewhat knobbed at 
% phe tip ; wing, rather long ; legs, moderate ; toes united at the base. Entire upper 
ts pale rufous tinged with ashy, every feather with transverse and confluent 
% Bands of brownish black, most numerous and predominating on the back and seap- 
ulars ; secondary quills, under wing coverts and axillaries, bright rufous ; primaries 
~ with their outer webs, brownish black : and their inner webs, rufous ; with trans- 
verse bands of black ; under parts, pale rufous; with longitudinal lines of black on 
the neck and sides ; tail, rufous, tinged with ashy ; transversely barred with brown- 
ish black. Specimens vary to some extent in the shade of the rufous colour of the 
- plumage, and very much in the length of the bill. The rufous colour is probably 
_ more distinct in the young. 
Total length about 25.00 inches ; extent about 40.00; wing, 10.00; tail, 4.00 ; 
pill, 2.30 to 8.50; tarsus, 2.25. Bill, black ; becoming dull light lilac brown on 
basal half of mandible ; iris, brown; legs and feet, gray. 
a Habitat.—Temperate North America, migrating south to Guatemala and the 
"West Indies. Breeds in the south Atlantic States, and is probably generally dis- 
tributed over North America, from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada on the north ; 
_ and we often, in the fall and spring, see large flocks of them in Ontario. We have 
no record of their breeding in Ontario. Prof. Macoun speaks of it as rare in the 
; AN orth-West. The Long-billed Curlew feeds upon crickets and other insects, and 
is considered a good table bird. 
