Long Island Bird Notes N.T. Lawrence 
14. Numenius borealis. Eskimo Curlew. — During a period of about 
twelve years’ Bay Snipe shooting at Far Rockaway and vicinity, I have 
only four records of this bird, — one September 12, 1875, one September 10, 
1876, and two September 26, 1884. 
Auk, 2, July, 1886. p.273 
Notes concerning certain Birds of Long Isl., 
Numenius borealis. A bird of this species ( $) was shot at Rockaway N » f • 
Beach Sept. 14, 1902, by Mr. Robt. L. Peavey of Brooklyn and is now in 
his collection of mounted birds, and has been examined by the writer. 
Mr. W. F. Hendrickson in a recent communication to Mr. William 
Dutcher referred to a strange bird which was shot from a flock of about 
fifteen as they were passing along the beach, near Zach’s Inlet Life 
Saving Station on August 29, 1903. From the description furnished 
Mr. Dutcher was inclined to believe the bird one of this species and 
referred the matter to me for investigation. The captain of the life 
saving crew, Philip K. Chichester, who saw the bird, is certain the bird 
was an “English Fute,” that is, an Eskimo Curlew. The life-saver is an 
old-time gunner who in former times saw the bird in much greater num- 
bers than it is now known to occur anywhere. There seems to me no 
reasonable doubt that this bird, which unfortunately was promptly 
plucked and eaten, was also a specimen of the Eskimo Curlew. 
William £ . Braislin, II. D. , Brooklyn, N.Y. 
Aais, XXI, A -r. , 190 p . z$f. 
A Correction: Concerning the Occurrence of Numenius borealis on Long 
Island. — In ‘The Auk,' XXI, 1904, p. 289, two specimens of the Eskimo 
Curlew were erroneously recorded from Long Island. Both were evi- 
dently the young of the Hudsonian Curlew ( Numenius hudsonicus). 
That reported as in the collection of Mr. Robt. L. Peavey is certainly this 
species. The bill of this curlew was under 3 inches in length and it was 
carelessly referred to borealis- The elimination of these records apparently 
shifts the date of the last known occurrence of this species on Long Island 
to September 26, 1884, when two were killed at The Rockaway by Mr. 
Newbold T. Lawrence (Auk, II, 1885, p. 273). — William C. Braislin - 
Auk, 24, July, 1907, P 3*/ 
M. D., Brooklyn, N. Y. 
Eskimo Curlew. — It is rather with a sense of reluctance that I send the 
following record, knowing the suspicion which is bound to arise but, being 
an enthusiastic gunner myself, I think it may prove of some interest to 
that very small body of ornithologists who know anything about shore 
birds. The record is that of the much discussed Eskimo Curlew. It is 
only within the last year that I realized that this species was nearing 
extinction. Such a blunder, however, I consider excusable when I take 
up any recent text-book or list and find this species still mentioned as our 
most abundant curlew. I understand, however, that the last record of 
this species from Long Island was in 1884, or 26 years ago. It seems 
incredible that for 20 years the absence of this species should have passed 
without remark, unless it be explained, as the present record must be, on 
the grounds that every gunner supposed these birds were common enough 
but that he had never happened to see one. 
In ‘The Auk,’ Vol. XXI, p. 79, I recorded a flight of Hudsonian Godwit 
on the 31st day of August, 1903. That was the morning after a heavy three 
days’ storm, and on that day a friend of mine, an experienced gunner, shot 
an Eskimo Curlew at Quogue, L. I. 1 paid small attention to it at the 
time, believing it to be a fairly common bird. There can be little doubt 
that this record is correct. I understand that the record in ‘The Auk,’ 
Vol. XXI, p. 289, of a bird of this species shot on Sept. 14, 1902 is in- 
correct. However, it is a strange coincidence that Dr. Braislin, on the /V 
same page, refers to one shot from a flock of about 15 as they were passing 
along the beach, near Zach’s Inlet on August 29, 1903. The storm con- 
tinued on August 30, clearing on the 31st, when the flight above noted took 
place at Quogue, the birds coming from the west. Zach’s Inlet is about 
40-50 miles west of Quogue, so that it would seem that Dr. Braislin’s 
record and mine would fit in rather well together. There seems to me no 
doubt that this bird was a specimen of the Eskimo Curlew. — Frederick 
Wm. Kobbe, New York City. 
JMk 2S, Jan -1911, p. //£, | 
