Part 47

Specimens examined.--Total number, 26 (9 males, 17 females), as follows: Mariana Islands, USNM--Guam, 16 (June 4, 6, July 24, 26, 27, Sept. 1, 19, 25, Oct. 8); Palau Islands, USNM--Peleliu, 5 (Sept. 8, 12, 14)--Angaur, 4 (Sept. 21); Caroline Islands, USNM--Ulithi, 1 (Aug. 17).

Weights.--At Guam, the NAMRU2 party obtained the weights of two males, 373 and 435, and of six females, 295-426 (384).

Parasites.--Wharton (1946:174, 175) lists the following species of chiggers (Acarina) taken from the Whimbrel at Guam: Acariscus pluvius, A. anous, Neoschöngastia strongi, and N. carveri; and at Ulithi: N. namrui and N. atollensis.

Remarks.--The Whimbrel is an abundant visitor to western Micronesia. It was first taken by Quoy and Gaimard, who found it in the Marianas. It is recorded in the Marshall Islands (Jaluit and Wotze), but apparently reaches these islands from the west, since the species is unknown in the Hawaiian Islands.

As shown in table 8, the NAMRU2 party observed the Whimbrel at Guam on spring migration in March, 1945, the last record being on March 21. In June and July, single birds or small groups were occasionally seen on the tidal flats. Some of these birds may have been nonmigratory. Beginning on July 24, more birds were recorded as they began to migrate south after their nesting season. Whimbrels were numerous from August until the conclusion of the observations in October. Birds were abundant at the Palaus in September; only a few were noted at Ulithi in late August. The Whitney South Sea Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History made collections of this species at several islands in Micronesia. At Ponapé, Coultas (field notes) writes that in November and December, 1930, a few birds were seen on the reefs and at the edges of mangrove swamps. At Peleliu in October to December, 1931, he found Whimbrels concentrated on a small islet between Koror and Babelthuap. At both Ponapé and Palau Coultas received reports that the birds remain at the islands throughout the year.

=Numenius tahitiensis= (Gmelin)

Bristle-thighed Curlew

Scolopax tahitiensis Gmelin, Syst. Nat., 1, pt. 2, 1789, p. 656. (Type locality, Tahiti, Society Islands, based on the Otaheiti Curlew of Latham, Gen. Syn., 3, pt. 1, 1785, p. 122, no. 4.)

Numenius femoralis Finsch, Ibis, 1880, pp. 220, 331, 332 (Jaluit, Arno).

Numenius tahitiensis Seebohm, Geogr. Dist. Charadriidae, 1887, p. 332 (Marshalls); Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 66 (Marianne?, Marshalls); Sharpe, Cat. Birds British Mus., 24, 1896, p. 367 (Marianas, Marshalls); Schnee, Zool. Jahrbücher, 20, 1904, p. 390 (Marschall-Inseln); Takatsukasa and Kuroda, Tori, 1, 1915, p. 62 (Marianas, Pelews); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 49 (Marianas, Marshalls); Bent, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 146, 1929, p. 143 (Jaluit); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 192 (Saipan, Marshalls); Peters, Check-list Birds World, 2, 1934, p. 261 (Marshalls); Yamashina, Tori, 10, 1940, p. 677 (Jarchi); Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 215 (Saipan, Jaluit, Arhno, Maloelab, Wotze, Ailuk, Ringelab, Larchi); Stickney, Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 1248, 1943, p. 4 (Ponapé, Marshalls); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 39 (Marshalls, straggler to Carolines and Marianas).

Phaeopus tahitiensis Wetmore, in Townsend and Wetmore, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zoöl., 63, 1919, p. 179 (Rongelab); Ridgway, Bull. U. S. Nat. Mus., 50, pt. 8, 1919, p. 407 (Marianas, Marshalls).

Geographic range.--Breeds in western Alaska. Winters in eastern and central Polynesia. In Micronesia: Mariana Islands--Saipan; Caroline Islands--Ponapé; Marshall Islands--Jaluit, Arhno, Moloelab, Wotze, Ailuk, Rongelab, Larchi, Bikini.

Specimens examined.--Total number, 6 (3 males, 3 females), as follows: Caroline Islands, AMNH--Ponapé, 2 (Dec. 15); Marshall Islands, USNM--Bikini, 4 (Mar. 10, 14, April 2, 30).

Remarks.--The Bristle-thighed Curlew is a regular migrant through the Marshall Islands of eastern Micronesia. It is recorded as a straggler to the Caroline and Mariana islands. Stickney (1943:4, fig. 1) shows a map and discusses the breeding and wintering ranges of this curlew. As can be observed from her map, the principal wintering areas are east and south of Micronesia. She records the species from the Bonin Islands, which is the westernmost record.

It is difficult to offer plausible reasons for the present migratory habits of the Bristle-thighed Curlew. It is related to both the Asiatic form, N. phaeopus, and to the American species, N. hudsonicus, but its origin is not understood. The characteristics of its route of migration resemble that of some continental migrants and might have come about by a slow adjustment of the species to its environment, probably through an expansion of range from the west.

=Numenius madagascariensis= (Linnaeus)

Long-billed Curlew

Scolopax madagascariensis Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. 12, 1, 1766, p. 242. (Type locality, Madagascar, error = Manila, Philippine Islands, fide Stresemann.)

Numenius cyanopus Hartert, Novit. Zool., 5, 1898, p. 65 (Guam); Seale, Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 1, 1901, p. 35 (Micronesia); Safford, Osprey, 1902, p. 67 (Marianas); idem, The Plant World, 7, 1904, p. 266 (Guam); idem, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb., 9, 1905, p. 80 (Guam); Cox, Island of Guam, 1917, p. 21 (Guam); Hartert, Vögel pal. Fauna, 13-14, 1921, p. 1645 (Guam); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 45 (Guam); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 192 (Guam).

Numenius madagascariensis Hand-list Japanese Birds, 3d ed., 1942, p. 214 (Guam); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 40 (Micronesia); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 51 (Guam, Ngesebus).

Geographic range.--Breeds in eastern Siberia. Winters from Malaysia east to Australia and Melanesia. In Micronesia: Mariana Islands--Guam; Palau Islands--Peleliu, Ngesebus.

Remarks.--The Long-billed Curlew is a regular visitor to western Micronesia, especially to the Palau Islands. It is apparently a less common migrant in the Marianas, although it has been recorded from Guam. At Guam, the NAMRU2 party observed a single bird on June 6 and two on October 3 at tidal beaches. At Peleliu these large curlews were seen on several occasions between September 9 and 16, 1945. They were found usually as singles feeding on tidal flats in company with other shorebirds.

=Limosa lapponica baueri= Naumann

Pacific Godwit

Limosa Baueri Naumann, Naturg. Vög. Deutschl., 8, 1836, p. 429. (Type locality, New Holland = Victoria, apud Mathews; Novit. Zool., 18, 1912, p. 220.)

Limosa uropygialis Schmeltz and Krause, Ethnogr. Abth. Mus. Godeffroy, 1881, p. 299 (Mortlock).

Limosa novae-sealandiae Wiglesworth, Abhandl. und Ber. Zool. Mus. Dresden, no. 6, 1890-1891 (1891), p. 66 (Luganor).

Limosa lapponica baueri Hartert, Novit. Zool., 5, 1898, p. 65 (Guam); Seale, Occ. Papers Bernice P. Bishop Mus., 1, 1901, p. 34 (Guam); Safford, Osprey, 1902, p. 67 (Marianas); idem, The Plant World, 7, 1904, p. 266 (Guam); idem, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb., 9, 1905, p. 80 (Guam); Prowazek, Die deutschen Marianen, 1913, p. 101 (Marianen); Cox, Island of Guam, 1917, p. 21 (Guam); Hartert, Vögel pal. Fauna, 13-14, 1921, p. 1641, (Guam); Kuroda, in Momiyama, Birds Micronesia, 1922, p. 46 (Carolines, Marianas); Hand-list Japanese Birds, rev., 1932, p. 191 (Marianas, Carolines); Bryan, Guam Rec., vol. 13, no. 2, 1936, p. 24 (Guam); Stickney, Amer. Mus. Novit., no. 1248, 1943, p. 5 (Guam, Palau); Mayr, Birds Southwest Pacific, 1945, p. 41 (Oceania); Strophlet, Auk, 1946, p. 537 (Guam); Baker, Smithson. Misc. Coll., vol. 107, no. 15, 1948, p. 52 (Guam, Peleliu).