THE HUDSONI AN CURLEW. 
Numbnius hudsonicus, Lath. 
PLATE CCCLYL— Male. 
The habits of this species, which, until a few years ago, was always con- 
founded with the Esquimaux Curlew, JYumenius borealis , are yet in a great 
measure unknown. Every person who writes on American birds repeats, 
that it arrives at Hudson’s Bay, breeds farther north, <&c. ; but none has yet 
given any of those details so necessary to enable the student of nature to 
judge in what respects this species resembles, or differs from others, at the 
season of reproduction. During my visit to Labrador, I made diligent 
inquiry respecting it and the Esquimaux Curlew, but I obtained no informa- 
tion farther than that the latter is extremely abundant for a few weeks in 
early autumn, and that the present species was entirely unknown. Even 
Mr. Jones and his sons, who had probably killed thousands of the species 
just mentioned, had never seen it in the course of their long residence at 
Bras d’Or. Nor is our information respecting their winter retreats much 
better, for scarcely any of them are ever seen in the colder months within the 
limits of the United States, and their movements during their migrations are 
more rapid than those of most water birds. In short, I am unable to present 
you with such an account of them as I could have wished. 
I have found this species abundant on the shores of New Jersey in the 
month of May, and there they remain a few weeks. I once saw a large 
flock of them near Charleston, in the month of December, and I have found 
them in the Boston market in September. None were ever seen by me in 
any part of the interior, where, indeed, it is probable they very seldom 
make their appearance. As I have nothing of any importance to add, I 
shall present you with a few extracts from Wilson and Nuttall, both of 
whom have had opportunities of observing this species. 
“ The Short-billed Curlew,” says the former, “ arrives in large flocks on 
the sea-coast of New Jersey early in May, from the south, frequents the salt, 
marshes, muddy shores and inlets, feeding on small worms and minute shell- 
fish. They are most commonly seen on mud-flats at low water, in company 
with various other waders ; and at high water roam along the marshes. They 
fly high, and with great rapidity. A few are seen in June, and as late as the 
beginning of July, when they generally move off toward the north. Their 
