68 BOOBY GANNET.
by a seam on each side, from the sides, which are nearly perpendicular,
edges sharp, inflected, serrated, tip acute. No external nostrils. Lower
mandible prolonged at the base behind the upper, its angle very long,
wide at the base, with a bare membrane, very narrow towards the end,
dorsal line straight, ascending, sides convex, tip very acute, edges serrated
towards the end.
Head rather large; neck rather long and thick; body of moderate
bulk, rather elongated; wings long. Feet short, strong, placed rather
far behind ; tibia? concealed; tarsus very short, rounded before, sharp
behind, covered all round with reticular scales; toes all united by membranes
; first very short, being about half the length of the second, third
and fourth longest and nearly equal, but the claw of the third is much
longer than that of the fourth ; claws small, compressed, acute, curved,
that of the third toe largest, depressed, curved outwards, with a thin pectinated
inner edge.
Plumage generally short, close, rather compact, the feathers small and
rounded ; those on the head very small; loral and orbital spaces bare, as
is that in the angle of the lower mandible, and a short space above the
tibio-tarsal joint; wings long, acute, narrow; primaries strong, narrow,
tapering rapidly to a rounded point, first and second longest and about
equal, the rest rapidly graduated ; secondaries short, rather broad, narrowed
towards the rounded point. Tail rather long, cuneate, of twelve
narrow, tapering feathers.
Bill and naked parts at its base bright yellow, pale flesh-coloured towards
the end ; a dusky spot before the eye. Iris white. Tarsi, toes,
and their connecting webs, pale yellow, claws white. Head, neck all
round, upper parts in general, and lower surface of wings, dusky brown,
tinged with grey ; the breast, abdomen, and lower tail-coverts, pure
white.
Length 31 inches, to end of claws 27, extent of wings 29£; bill along
the back 3^§, along the edge 5 ; tarsus middle toe and claw 3è.
Wing from flexure 16è, tail 8£. Weight 3 lb. 4£ oz.
The Female resembles the male, but is smaller.
The Young, when fledged, are of a greyish-brown colour all over, the
breast and abdomen being merely a little lighter than the rest. The bill
and claws are dusky, the tarsi and toes with their membranes dull yellow..
( G9 )
ESQUIMAUX CURLEW.
NUMENIUS BOREAL IS, LATH.
PLATE CCVIII. MALE AND FEMALE.
I KEGRET that I am unable to present a complete history of the Esquimaux
Curlew. It is true I might somewhat enlarge my account of
its habits, were I to borrow from others, but as I have resolved to confine
myself to the results of my own observation, unless in certain cases, in
which I always take care to give my authorities, I hope you will be
pleased with the little which I have to offer.
Previous to my voyage to Labrador, I had seen only a single bird of
this species, which was kindly given me by my learned friend WILLIAM
OAKES, Esq. of Ipswich, Massachusetts, who had procured it in his immediate
neighbourhood, where, as I have since ascertained, the Esquimaux
Curlew spends a few days in early autumn, while on its way southward.
During their short stay in that State, they are met with on the high
sandy hills near the sea-shore, where they feed on the grasshoppers and on
several kinds of berries. On this food they become fat, so as to afford
excellent eating, in consequence of which they have probably acquired
the name of " Dough Bird,'"1 which they bear in that district, but which
is also applied to several other birds. How this species manages to cross
the whole extent of the United States without being seen after leaving
Massachusetts, is to me very wonderful. On one occasion only have I
ever had a glimpse of it. I was in company with my learned and generous
friend JOHN BACHMAN of Charleston, on one of the islands on the
coast of South Carolina, whither we had gone with the view of watching
the Long-billed Curlews (Numenius longirostris). It was at the dawn
of a fine day, when a dense flock of the northern Curlews passed to the
southward, near enough to enable us to ascertain the species, but so swiftly,
that in a few minutes they were quite out of sight.
On the 29th of July 1833, during a thick fog, the Esquimaux Curlews
made their first appearance in Labrador, near the harbour of Bras
d1Or. They evidently came from the north, and arrived in such dense
flocks as to remind me of the Passenger Pigeons. The weather was extremely
cold as well as foggy. For more than a week we had been look