THE DUNLIN 289 



and I could not but feel how clumsy even the flight of the 

 Snipe was compared with the finished movements of this 

 Dunlin Sandpiper. The fashion, too, in which, after 

 skimming the moor down wind with the speed of an express 

 train, he wheeled abruptly about and alighted on a knoll 

 almost instantaneously, compelled the admiration. This 

 knoll was not more than twenty-five yards from me, and 

 so, as the bird stood head to wind with little sign of un- 

 easiness, I commenced to stalk him, inch by inch, ob- 

 taining a number of photographs at different ranges before 

 his suspicions were aroused and he moved off, running, 

 however, only a few yards before remaining as though on 

 guard. 



It was about this time that I saw the hen in precisely 

 the same locality as before. She showed much more 

 anxiety than the cock, uttering almost incessantly two 

 alarm notes as she walked round me. One of these notes 

 was the characteristic trill, unlike, I think, any other cry 

 in the bird world ; the other, which appeared to be the 

 note of extra alarm, was a harsh cry reminding me much 

 of the alarm note of the Lesser Tern. In order to observe 

 the effect, I called several times, imitating the cry of one 

 of her chicks. The effect was striking and instantaneous ; 

 the bird rushed up in alarm, and literally rolled herself 

 about on the ground with feathers ruffled. She indeed 

 presented such an appearance that it was quite impossible 

 to see her head or feet emerging from the dishevelled 

 bundle into which she rolled herself. Evidently her 

 tactics were quite different — considerably less elegant, but 

 perhaps equally forcible — to those used by the Dotterel 

 under similar circvimstances. After a time she began to 

 realise that her deception was producing no effect on the 

 object of her mistrust, and moved anxiously round me. 



Her mate, evidently considering that his responsi- 

 bilities ended with his flight signalising my arrival, be- 



