398 ESQUIMAUX CURLEW. 



remaining for any length of time in the intervening countries between 

 its winter and summer residences. They collect in small flocks of from 

 ten to twenty ; and when starting on the wing utter a cry resembling 

 hihi ; this whistling note may be heard at a distance. The Esquimaux 

 Curlew lays four eggs, and keeps in flocks composed of young and old 

 together : they feed much on the berries of Empetrum nigrum, which 

 imparts to their flesh a delicate flavor. 



It has been the lot of all the species of Curlews to be wantonly con- 

 founded with each other : only two were reckoned as European, and in 

 them were merged as identical the three American. The longirontris 

 was first definitively disunited from the arquata by Wilson. Vieillot 

 unaccountably confounded as one two very difi"erent ^species, giving it 

 more than one name, however. The hudsonicus, though correctly de- 

 scribed by Latham, was referred by all writers, including Temminck, to 

 the European Whimbrel, iV. phceopus. The present one he forbore, 

 through extreme caution, to unite also with it, observing that it might 

 be a real species, or at least a constant variety. But when the bird 

 actually fell into his hands, he called his specimens, which were from 

 South America, Numenius brevirostris, not recognising in them the iV. 

 horealis of Latham. 



Although we call this bird Esquimaux Curlew, it would perhaps be 

 better to condemn this name altogether, and give this one the really 

 appropriate name of Short-billed Curlew, although this as well as the 

 former appellation has been misapplied. As for the legitimate scientific 

 name, this also might be disputed. Borealis was first given by Gmelin 

 to the Hudsonian Curlew, but as he called them Seolopax, we have pre- 

 ferred retaining the appellation of Latham, who is admirably correct 

 with respect to the Curlews, being only wrong perhaps in the choice of 

 the name, and certainly in the citation of Gmelin. As for Temminck, 

 in declaring that the new species of Lichtenstein differs essentially from 

 Latham's N. horealis (a fact which was doubted by the accurate German 

 himself), he must have had in view our N. hudsonicus, Lath., the Seo- 

 lopax borealis of Gmelin. 



We can form no opinion on the N. rufiventris of Vigors, a supposed 

 new Curlew from the North West Coast : the diagnosis is certainly in- 

 conclusive, not embracing the essential characters ; and establishes no 

 difference between it and N. hudsonicus, of which it also has the size. 



The N. madagascariensis of Brisson forms a seventh species of 

 Num.enius peculiar to Southern Africa and Oceanica, allied to the 

 arquata and longirostris : it is figured on the PI. Enl. 198 of Buffon. 

 We do not know either N. virgatus, or K lineatus of Cuvier, but one 

 of them at all events will have to be referred to the madagascariensis. 



