Eskimo Curlew. A description of the curlew seen in Covehead as based on our

field notes is as follows:

Size - The overall body size was only slightly larger than that of nearby Lesser Yellowlegs or, approximately Greater Yellowlegs size.

Head Pattern — The sides of the crown were very dark in colour and divided by a pale medium crown stripe. The median stripe was thin overall but varied somewhat in width. Its edges were jagged but well defined and not blended into the dark sides of the crown. Below the crown were broad, pale supercilia. Below the supercilia, there were dark, distinct eye stripes, beginning in the lores and extending towards the back of the head. The rest of the head was pale and buff with fine brown markings throughout.

Upperparts - The upperparts (scapulars, tertials, and wing coverts) were a dark, brownish colour but edged with pale buff. The primaries appeared dark. The length of the primaries in relation to tail length could not be accurately determined as the grass obscured the view of these features.

Underparts - The overall colour of the throat and breast was a pale buff, with fine darker streaks interspersed throughout. The upper throat area was an unmarked whitish colour. The view of most of the belly was partly obscured by grass but appeared unmarked and pale whitish as compared to the breast. In flight, the belly and undertail coverts definitely proved to be unmarked and pale whitish.

Wings - In flight, the primaries were a dark grey and unmarked. The underwing coverts were pale buffish overall, with finer darker markings throughout. On the upperwings, the secondary coverts were similarly extensively marked with pale buff.

Bill - The bill was down-curved and very short as compared to that of the Whimbrel's. The bill appeared all dark in colour.

Legs - The legs were partly to mostly obscured, but appeared to be dark in colour.

Calls - No calls were noted, neither when it was on the ground or when it flushed.

The differences between the Little Curlew and Eskimo Curlew, as given by Farrand (1977) and Moon (1983), and reviewed by Lehman and Dunn (1985), include:

1. Both species have fine dark barring on the underwing

coverts and axillaries but the Little Curlew lacks the rich cinnamon-buff base colour of the Eskimo Curlew, and is instead a much paler buff or sandy colour.

2. The Eskimo Curlew is more boldly and coarsely marked below, with heavier streaking on the face and neck, and dark chevrons on the breast and flanks; the Little Curlew is more finely marked, with chevrons being few in numbers and confined to the flanks.

3. The Little Curlew lacks the warn buffy or rusty tones to the underparts shown in the Eskimo Curlew.

4. The Little Curlew has more distinctive crown stripes.

5. The Little Curlew has a more extensive pinkish area

extending from the base of the lower mandible to or beyond the middle of the bill, while the pinkish area occupies less than one-half of the lower mandible in the Eskimo Curlew.

6. In the hand, or a very close range, the rear surface of the tarsus in the Little Curlew is covered by

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