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THE LONG-BILLED CURLEW 
Ntjmenius longirostris, Wils. 
PLATE CCOLY.— Male and Female. 
The Long-billed Curlew is a constant resident in the southern districts of 
the United States, whereas the other species are only autumnal and winter 
visiters. It is well known by the inhabitants of Charleston that it breeds 
on the islands on the coast of South Carolina ; and my friend the Reverend 
John Bachman has been at their breeding grounds. That some individuals 
go far north to breed, is possible enough, but we have no authentic account 
of such an occurrence, although many suppositions have been recorded. 
All that I have to say on this subject is, that the bird in question is quite 
unknown in the Magdeleine Islands, where, notwithstanding the assertions 
of the fishermen, they acknowledged that they had mistaken Godwits for 
Curlews. In Newfoundland, I met with a well-informed English gentleman, 
who had resided in that island upwards of twenty years, and described the 
Common Curlew of Europe with accuracy, but who assured me that he had 
observed only two species of Curlew there, one about the size of the Whirn- 
brel — the Numenius hudsonicus, the other smaller — the JV. borealis, and that 
only in August and the beginning of September, when they spend a few 
days in that country, feed on berries, and then retire southward. Mr. Jones 
of Labrador, and his brother-in-law, Avho is a Scotch gentleman, a scholar, 
and a sportsman, gave me the same account. None of my party observed an 
individual of the species in the course of our three months’ stay in the coun- 
try, although we saw great numbers of the true Esquimaux Curlew, Bo- 
realis. Yet I would not have you to suppose that I do not give credit to 
the reports of some travellers, who had said that the Long-billed Curlew is 
found in the fur countries during summer. This may be true enough ; but 
none of the great northern travellers, such as Richardson, Ross, Parry, or 
Franklin, have asserted this as a fact. Therefore if the bird of which I 
speak has been seen far north, it was in all probability a few stragglers that 
had perhaps been enticed to follow some other species. I am well aware of 
the propensity it has to ramble, as I have shot some in Missouri, Indiana, 
Kentucky, Arkansas, and Mississippi ; but the birds thus obtained were rare 
in those districts, where the species only appears at remote periods ; and in 
