44 2 The Water-fowl Family 



islands in the gulf, the curlew scatter along the 

 coast, working their way south, tarrying where 

 marshes and flats afford feeding-grounds. For- 

 merly Cape Cod and Long Island were regular 

 stopping-places, but now the large majority keep 

 on their flight offshore until further south. The 

 marshes of the Virginia and North Carolina coast 

 are the haunts of many, and we find them here by 

 the middle of August, leaving in September. The 

 young birds follow the adults on the same line of 

 migration, but from three weeks to a month later. 

 These birds are more liable to pass along our 

 shores than the old ones ; they are also seen in 

 larger flocks. The curlew's whistle is shrill and 

 clear, and often announces its presence some time 

 before coming into view. If answered from a 

 blind the bird generally replies and circles about 

 the decoys within range, but the fast flight often 

 saves it. 



While the flesh of this species is good, and 

 the young birds are excellent, it does not stand in 

 quite the high repute for the table that some of 

 the smaller shore-birds enjoy. The Hudsonian 

 curlew winters over a vast territory, — in Mexico 

 and Central America, through South America, 

 frequenting the pampas of Brazil and Patagonia. 

 The migration north is through the interior of 

 the United States, but more along the Atlantic 

 Coast. The birds appear off North Carolina and 



