BIRDS OF MANY FAMILIES 199 



up." He nests near the shore, or in a field or 

 pasture, near water, building a very poor nest of 

 grass which merely serves as a receptacle for 

 the eggs. Since the young birds run almost as 

 soon as hatched, they have little need of a home. 

 The eggs are very large, of light tan color, 

 thickly spotted with dark brown. 



The Spotted Sandpiper is rather a handsome 

 bird, although there are no brilliant colors in 

 his plumage. The upper parts are grayish 

 brown with just a shade of green. The head and 

 neck are streaked with black and the back has 

 spots of the same color. The tail feathers have 

 dark bars and streaks, and the light under parts 

 are heavily spotted with dark brown. They 

 have long legs, large eyes and a sharp bill. They 

 are about seven and one-half inches in length. 

 Their summer range extends as far north as 

 Hudson Bay and they winter in Brazil. 



American Bittern. Another inhabitant of 

 the grassy marshes and swamps in summer is 

 the American Bittern, or Stake Driver as he is 

 sometimes called. This name arises from the 

 supposed likeness of one of his utterances to 

 the sound made by striking a stake with an axe. 

 To my sense the peculiar cry of the Bittern is 

 best represented by the words '' plunk- er-lunk^ 

 plunk-er-lunk,^^ a sound not unlike that pro- 

 duced when using an old-fashioned wooden 

 pump. This is "the booming of the Bittern." 



The American Bittern is a member of the 

 Heron family. It is more than two feet in 

 height. The upper parts are mottled brownish, 

 the throat is whitish, and there is a shiny-black 



