18 



AVII'U NA OF LATSAN. 



feathers of the lower back broadly margined with bright buff, and the upper tail-coverts 

 nearly or quite uniform ocbraceous buff; tail ochraceous buff barred with dark brown. 

 Primaries dark sootv brown, inuer webs banded with buff, shafts white ; secondaries 

 spotted or banded with buff on both webs. Under wing-eoverts spotted brown 

 and buff. 

 The sexes are similar. 



« Iris dark hazel ; bill blackish brown; base of lower mandible dull flesh-colour, tip darkest ; 



legs bluish." (II C. P.) 

 Total length about 17 to 18 inches, wing 9 to 10, tail 4, culmen 3 50, 3'GO to 11 (this latter an 



adult female from Laysan Island), tarsus 21 to 23, middle toe (without claw) 135 to 1-50. 



The Bristle-thighcd Curlew was for a long time known from the Pacific Ocean only, but has 

 more recently been found on the coast of Alaska. Prom these later discoveries it had been 

 supposed that it Avas merely a wanderer in the Pacific Ocean and that its breeding-grounds 

 were the coasts of Alaska. This statement has also been made by Seebolim (I. <?.), but 

 whether it is true or not must remain doubtful until we have more exact information 

 about it, and until the eggs have actually been found. Pinsch {I. c.) says that it is only a 

 winter visitor on the Gilbert Islands ; but this can only be a surmise, as he has not been there 

 during all seasons of the year to prove it. 



Wilson (I. c. p. 3, in his article on Numeniua tahitienm) did not find it breeding, but 

 some natives assured him that it did breed in the Sandwich Islands. 



Now Palmer not only observed it on several small islands during his trip to Laysan, but 

 sent me specimens from Laysan and Brooks or Midway Islands, and he says that Mr. Preeth 

 —then living on Laysan, and who carefully protected the birds of that now lonely and 

 unprotected bird-paradise— did not allow him to kill more than the one specimen he sent me, 

 because they were then (in the latter half of June) in the height of the breeding-season. It is 

 a thousand pities he did not send unmistakable proofs to confirm the statement, and did not 

 discover the yet unknown eggs of this bird. All he says further is that Mr. Preeth told him 

 they were— like most of the Laysan birds— very fond of sucking other birds' eggs. Palmer's 

 statement, however, is so positive, that some weight must certainly be attached to it. 



