638 



Till- KIT.LDEER. 



eve dcpartetl tnun lliem ihe scarcli had to be CDmineneed anew, sd perfectly 

 were the eggs mimicked b\- tlieir surroundings. 



Young Killdeers are deliglitful absurdities. Their strength is in their 

 legs, and these carry them pattering away, before the embryonic juices are 

 fairly dried upon their backs. The_\- need to be nimble, for all nature turns 

 teeth In little birds that cannot tlv. When jiapa or mamma thinks best, also, 

 the litlle fellows will crouch and freeze most dutifully. ( )n such occasions 

 the rump, with its ridiculous tuft of lengthened bristles, is stuck u|) into the air. 



T„kc 



in U'nlhi Jl'alhi Countw 



Photo by IV. Leon Dazcsott. 



THE TRK.\SURF.S. 



and passes muster for wa\'ing vegetation. 



Fortunatelv for them the flesh of the Killdeer is not esteeme<l for food 

 bv humans, so the\' are allowed to gather in peace into fall companies con- 

 taining a score or two of individuals. The Killdeer i^ not gregarious at other 

 times r)f vear, altho a half dozen pairs ma\' nest in the same field: l)ut in 

 fall they flock commonly, and are fouml about mea<low iionds, river bars, and 

 even on the lake beaches. 



The month of ^lav, iQO". found the writer encamped with an assistant 



