THE MARBLED GODWIT. 



{Limosa fedoa.) 



—I behold 

 The godwits running by the water edge, 

 The mossy bridges mirrored as of old; 



The little curlews creeping from the sedge. 



— Jean Ingelow, "The Four Bridges." 



The Godwits form an interesting group 

 of the shore birds (Limicolae) and belong 

 in the same family as the snipes and sand- 

 pipers. They command attention not 

 alone because of their habits, but also 

 because they have for centuries been 

 considered a delicate food for man, and 

 much has been written in praise of their 

 flesh. 



Early in the sixteenth century one of 

 the European species was rated as "worth 

 three times as much as the snipe," and 

 was considered a delicacy of the French 

 epicure. We are told that the black- 

 tailed Godwit in the year 1766 was sold 

 in England for half-a-crown. Ben Jon- 

 son speaks enthusiastically of this bird as 

 a delicate morsel for the appetite. 



The origin of the name Godwit is 

 veiled in obscurity. It has been sug- 

 gested that it may be a corruption of the 

 two words good and the antiquated word 

 wight, the latter meaning swift, though 

 the Godwits are not birds of very rapid 

 flight. 



The Marbled Godwit belongs to a 

 genus (Limosa) which, though not rich 

 in the number of species, has representa- 

 tives throughout the Northern Hemis- 

 phere. This bird frequents muddy pools 

 and marshes and wet, sandy shores. It 

 is this habit that suggested to the natural- 

 ist the generic name, which is derived 

 from the Latin word limosus, meaning 

 muddy. 



As is the case with many of our game 

 birds, this species bears a number of com- 

 mon names, such as the Straight-Billed 

 Curlew, the Marbled or Brown Marlin, 

 the Red Curlew and, among sportsmen, 

 the Dough and the Doe Bird. 



With the exception of the long-billed 



curlew the Marbled Godwit is the larg- 

 est of the "Bay Birds." These two birds 

 closely resemble each other in coloration, 

 but may be easily distinguished by the 

 characteristics of the bills, which are very 

 long. The terminal half of the bill of 

 the curlew is curved downward, while 

 that of the Godwit is either straight or 

 slightly curved upward. 



The geographical distribution of the 

 Marbled Godwit includes the whole of 

 North America, though it is infrequent 

 on the Atlantic coast. Its nesting range 

 is chiefly limited to the interior from 

 Iowa and Nebraska northward to the 

 Saskatchewan. In winter it migrates 

 to Central America, Cuba and the north- 

 ern part of South America. 



In company with the long-billed cur- 

 lew and some species of sandpipers it 

 builds its nest on the grassy banks of 

 rivers and ponds, usually in some natural 

 depression. Occasionally, however, 

 the nests are found on moist prairies some 

 distance from a stream. In these grass- 

 lined nests are laid the three or four 

 bright olivaceous, drab or creamy buff 

 eggs that are variously spotted or 

 blotched with varying shades of brown. 

 They are domestic and seemingly devoted 

 to their fellows. W r hen one of their 

 number is wounded and unable to fly 

 they will frequently remain in the vicinity, 

 flying around the spot where lies their 

 wounded comrade. 



Dr. Coues tells us that "on intru- 

 sion near the nest the birds mount in the 

 air with loud, piercing cries, hovering 

 slowly around with labored flight, in evi- 

 dent distress and approaching sometimes 

 within a few feet of the observer." 



Its food consists of the smaller 



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