ESQUIMAUX CURLEW 221 
this territory, surely in the northern half, this 
is the most numerous species of curlew. In the 
cold weather it joins the rest of its family in 
the warm climates, sometimes going down into 
the pampas of Argentina for winter quarters. 
It nests on the plains of the interior, the 
number of eggs commonly four, greenish gray 
in color, with mottlings of varying hue, though 
in most cases brown. 
Inland it lives much like and is often found 
with the upland plover and the golden plover in 
their prairie ranges, but to the New England 
gunner it is only a chance acquaintance met on 
the sea ledges, the marshes alongshore and on 
the outer islands. They are fairly regular 
summer visitors, both this species and the Hud- 
sonian curlew, to those grassy solitudes, de- 
serted islands far off shore, where sea fowl and 
shore birds are seldom disturbed by any crea- 
ture more dangerous than the sheep which are 
pastured there. 
Though quite wary they will decoy well if the 
sportsman is hidden and can imitate their call 
passably. The flesh of this and all other mem- 
bers of the family is of good flavor and is in 
good condition at all seasons of the year. The 
