378 NORTHERN ZOOLOGY. 



wing coverts reddish-buff (much fainter than in N. borealis), barred with clove-brown. Bill 

 brownish-black. Legs blackish-grey. 



Form. — Bill much stouter, longer, and more curved than that of N. borealis, and greatly 

 resembling that of N. phoeopus. Wings nearly equal to the square tail. Toes, particularly 

 the hind one, longer than those of N. borealis. Middle nail crenated. 











Dimensions, 

















Inch. 



Lin. 





Inch. 



Lin. 





Inch. 



Lin. 



agt: 



h, total 



18 



6 



Length of bill above . 



. 3 



3 



Length of middle toe . 



. 1 



3 



95 



without bill 



. l(i 



C 



„ of bill to rictus . 



3 



6 



,, of middle nail 



. 



3* 



•), 



of tail 



. 4 







„ of naked thigh 



. 1 







,, of hind toe 



. 



6 



}5 



of wing 



. 9 



3 



,, of tarsus 



2 



2 



,, of its nail 



. 



n 



[146.] 3. Numenius borealis. (Lath.) Esquimaux Curlew. 



Genus, Numenius, Lath. 



Scolopax borealis (Eskimaux Curlew). Forst. Phil. Trans., lxii., pp. 411, 431. 

 Numenius borealis. Lath. Ind., ii., p. 712, sp. 9*. Bonap. Syn., No. 244. 

 Weekee-meneesew. Ciiee Indians. 



Plate lxv. 



This Curlew frequents the barren lands within the Arctic circle in summer, 

 where it feeds on grubs, fresh-water insects, and the fruit of Empetrum nigrum. 

 Its eggs, three or four in number, have a pyriform shape and a siskin-green 

 colour, clouded with a few large irregular spots of bright umber-brown. The 

 Copper Indians believe that this bird and some others betray the approach of 

 strangers to the Esquimaux ; and it is very probable that that persecuted people, 

 always in dread of the treacherous attacks of their enemies, and accustomed to 

 observe the few animals that visit their country with great attention, will be on 

 the alert when they perceive a bird flying anxiously backwards and forwards over 

 a particular spot. On the 13th of June, 1822, I discovered one of these Curlews 

 hatching on three eggs on the shore of Point Lake. When I approached the 

 nest, she ran a short distance, crouching close to the ground, and then stopped 

 to observe the fate of the object of her cares. 



DESCRIPTION 



Of a specimen, killed on the Rocky Mountains. 



Colour. — Upper plumage blackish-brown, with many yellowish-brown marginal spots; 

 these colours forming handsome bars on the lesser quills and tail coverts. All the primaries 



* Many of the synonymes quoted by Latham belong to the preceding species. 



