Hudsonian Curlew 129 
Distribution.—_ Breeding from British Columbia and Alberta south 
to Arizona and Oklahoma, but chiefly in the prairie states ; wintering 
in the Gulf States and south to Guatemala. It is rare and only a 
migrant in the North Atlantic States. 
In Colorado this Curlew is a fairly common summer resident chiefly on 
the prairie portion of the State though mounting up into the parks 
to about 7,500 feet. It arrives from the south about the middle of 
April; Salida, April 29th (Frey), Loveland, April 10th to 15th (W. H. 
Smith). It has been noticed in Baca co. (Warren), near Pueblo (Lowe), 
Fremont co. (Aiken coll.), Boulder co., breeding (Gale), Middle and 
South Parks, breeding (Carter), and is stated to be abundant near Fort 
Lewis by Morrison, while Rockwell believes that it is rare in Mesa, co., 
whence he has only one record : Plateau Valley, 6,500 feet, in the spring 
of 1905; Felger states that it is w common summer resident about 
Barr Lake. 
Habits.—The Curlew is as often found on the dry upland 
prairies as in marshy places near water ; its food consists 
chiefly of worms, small mollusca, and insect larve, 
and it probes for these with its long bill where the ground 
is soft enough. It has a loud whistling note, and if 
disturbed on its breeding-grounds, its harsh cries of 
alarm resound. 
Gale found nests on several occasions near Gold Hill. 
He gives May Ist to 15th as the date for fresh eggs. The 
nest is only a slight depression in a dry meadow bottom, 
and is lined scantily with a few blades of grass. The eggs, 
usually four in number, are rather ovate and not so 
pytiform as those of other waders. They are buffy to 
olive-drab, blotched and spotted with several shades 
of brown, and average 2°85 x 1°85. 
Hudsonian Curlew. Numenius hudsonicus. 
A.O.U. Checklist no 265—Colorado Records—Beckham, 85, p. 1438; 
Thorne 87, p. 264; Morrison 89, p. 181; Cooke 97, p. 67; Hersey & 
Rockwell 09, p. 116. 
Description.—Resembling N. americanus, but decidedly smaller and 
with a shorter bill; top of the head more or less uniform blackish- 
brown with a median and two lateral stripes of whitish ; general colour 
EK 
