16 THE BAY STATE OOLOGIST. 



The Long-billed Curlew in California. 



BY A. M. SHIELDS, LOS ANGELES, CAL. 



To persons, who cross any of our large stubble-fields or pastures, the Cur- 

 lew is a familiar bird. It may also be called a plentiful bird, frequently 

 being found in large flocks. Our sea-side marshes are also favorite haunts 

 of this bird, which is very fond of the small crabs so abundant in such places y 

 and which it is very dexterous in probing for, in the soft mud, with its long 

 bill. It also feeds on worms, insects, snails and berries. 



This bird, even to persons not familiar with the mysteries of Ornithology,, 

 is never hard to identify, as its homely brownish, sometimes speckled, plu- 

 mage, its long neck, long curved bill and loud whistling note are unmistak- 

 able characteristics of the Curlew. 



Although it is so plentiful, it very seldom breeds in this locality, prefer- 

 ring the great plains oi northern latitudes for that purpose. I know, how- 

 ever, of two anthentic instances in which "bona fide" nests of eggs of it 

 have been found in this locality. 



One nest was discovered by some harvesters in a young wheat-field 

 eral miles inland ; the other was found in some high marsh-grass very near 

 a large, flat "tide-marsh" which was much frequented by these birds. 



The Curlew is here considered a game bird, often falling victim to the 

 hunters' deadly fowling-piece. Its flesh is rather dark, and inclined to be a 

 little coarse ; but it has a sweet "gamey" flavor about it, which recompenses 

 for the other two slight deficiencies. 



A peculiar trait of this bird is its singular attachment for any of its feath- 

 ered companions who happen to be in trouble. This trait is often very 

 disastrous to them ; for example, should a hunter be successful enough to 

 first wound or wing one bird of a flock, the rest will continue to hover and 

 circle around overhead the crippled one, paying no heed to the fated crack ! 

 crack ! ! of the fowling-piece of the hunter, who will sometimes drop them, 

 one by one, until he has almost annihilated the whole flock. 



The Curlew, like members of its aquatic contemporaries, is very averse to 

 flight during foggy weather, and will often suffer the hunter to approach 

 within gunshot, in preference to taking wing during a fog. 



