﻿322 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  STATE 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  buffy 
  grayish. 
  Young 
  resemble 
  summer 
  adults 
  above 
  and 
  winter 
  adults 
  

   below. 
  

  

  Length 
  14-16.75 
  inches; 
  extent 
  25-28; 
  wing 
  7.5-8.6; 
  tail 
  3-3.5; 
  tarsus 
  

   2.35-2.55; 
  tibia 
  bare 
  i; 
  middle 
  toe 
  and 
  claw 
  1.3; 
  bill 
  2.75-3.5; 
  weight 
  9-10 
  

   ounces. 
  Female 
  somewhat 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  male. 
  

  

  The 
  riudsonian 
  godwit, 
  or 
  Ring 
  -tailed 
  marlin, 
  is 
  a 
  nearctic 
  species 
  

  

  breeding 
  in 
  arctic 
  America, 
  migrating 
  southward 
  through 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  

  

  valley 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  Atlantic 
  coast, 
  and 
  wintering 
  in 
  South 
  America 
  as 
  

  

  far 
  as 
  Patagonia. 
  It 
  is 
  more 
  common 
  than 
  the 
  Marbled 
  godwit 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  

  

  of 
  Long 
  Island 
  and 
  still 
  occurs 
  in 
  small 
  numbers 
  during 
  the 
  migrations. 
  

  

  In 
  Butcher's 
  Long 
  Island 
  Notes 
  I 
  find 
  about 
  25 
  definite 
  migration 
  dates 
  

  

  ranging 
  between 
  August 
  8th 
  and 
  October 
  9th, 
  during 
  the 
  years 
  1881 
  to 
  

  

  1893, 
  the 
  hight 
  of 
  the 
  migration 
  season 
  seemiing 
  to 
  occur 
  between 
  August 
  

  

  23d 
  and 
  September 
  loth. 
  On 
  August 
  31st, 
  1903, 
  a 
  large 
  flight 
  occurred 
  

  

  along 
  the 
  Long 
  Island 
  coast 
  and 
  many 
  gunners 
  killed 
  a 
  dozen 
  or 
  more 
  of 
  

  

  these 
  birds 
  [see 
  Kobbe, 
  Auk, 
  21: 
  79]. 
  Dr 
  Braislin 
  also 
  reports 
  it 
  from 
  

  

  Quogue, 
  L. 
  I., 
  September 
  23, 
  1896, 
  and 
  Rockaway, 
  L. 
  I., 
  August 
  30, 
  1903 
  

  

  [Auk, 
  22: 
  167]. 
  Our 
  inland 
  records 
  are 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  Ithaca, 
  N. 
  Y. 
  Nov. 
  5, 
  1878. 
  (R. 
  B. 
  Hough). 
  C. 
  J. 
  Pennock 
  

   Green 
  Island, 
  Albany 
  co., 
  N. 
  Y. 
  Oct. 
  24, 
  1882. 
  A. 
  F. 
  Parks 
  

   Onondaga 
  lake, 
  N. 
  Y. 
  Oct. 
  13, 
  1883. 
  A. 
  W. 
  Penior 
  

   Lake 
  Ontario, 
  Orleans 
  co., 
  N. 
  Y. 
  Sept. 
  1890. 
  David 
  Bruce 
  

   Oneida 
  Lake, 
  N. 
  Y. 
  Sept. 
  7, 
  Oct. 
  7, 
  1891. 
  Bagg, 
  Auk, 
  11; 
  163 
  

  

  Godwits, 
  like 
  the 
  curlews 
  and 
  larger 
  plovers, 
  formerly 
  migrated 
  along 
  

   the 
  Atlantic 
  coast 
  in 
  large 
  flocks, 
  but 
  seldom 
  appear 
  in 
  numbers 
  unless 
  

   driven 
  to 
  land 
  by 
  storms, 
  which 
  force 
  them 
  from 
  their 
  ocean 
  course 
  between 
  

   Nev/foundland 
  and 
  South 
  America. 
  At 
  such 
  times 
  they 
  appear 
  on 
  Cape 
  

   Cod, 
  Marthas 
  Vineyard 
  and 
  eastern 
  Long 
  Island. 
  Being 
  fat 
  from 
  feeding 
  

   on 
  the 
  small 
  shellfish, 
  berries, 
  and 
  tender 
  roots 
  which 
  abound 
  on 
  the 
  

   Labrador 
  coast 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  came, 
  they 
  are 
  highly 
  prized 
  by 
  epicures. 
  

   They 
  are 
  very 
  sh)- 
  but 
  respond 
  readily 
  to 
  an 
  imitation 
  of 
  their 
  whistle, 
  

   or 
  the 
  cries 
  of 
  wounded 
  companions, 
  and 
  when 
  these 
  flights 
  occur 
  they 
  

   are 
  taken 
  in 
  great 
  numbers, 
  which 
  undoubtedlv 
  accounts 
  for 
  the 
  decline 
  

  

  r 
  

  

  of 
  this 
  species, 
  as 
  its 
  nesting 
  grounds 
  are 
  practically 
  beyond 
  the 
  interference 
  

   of 
  man. 
  

  

  