104 



THE OOLOGIST. 



ing to the ear, and the amateur cannot 

 fail to notice them from their very oddi- 

 ty. The sounds at times, fall to us in the 

 balmy spring air like the love song of 

 the common tree toad, and on several 

 occasions I have been deceived. On 

 one occasion, long ago. I even went so 

 far as to hitch my horse to the fence, 

 and enter the field with my gun for the 

 birds, only t) find that I had been fool- 

 ed by several musical tree toads. It is 

 very easy to distinguish the notes if both 

 creatures sing at once, as I have proven 

 but this only makes it the more remark- 

 able that a person can be deceived. 



Besides this serifs of notes wo often 

 hear a pleasing warble, like putt putt 

 putt err-r-rr putt er-r-r, and looking 

 up see a bird flying about apparently 

 aimlessly, at a great-height. Occasion- 

 ally a long drawn ichee hee-u-u-u is 

 strained forth, and this last effort is 

 probably its love song, as it is uttered 

 in the spring when mating and the 

 other not s are emitted at various 

 seasons as well. 



This species often flies at an immense 

 height, and I have seen them fluttering 

 when almost out of sight, and when 

 their notes could scarcely be distinguish- 

 ed. The flight is very vigorous and 

 rapid when the plover attempts it, but 

 generally when undisturbed the move- 

 ments are (xceedingly varied. Some- 

 times the pair will sweep along at a 

 great latt ; flying low over the meadows. 

 Then again the birds seem to flutter 

 about in a very lazy manner, seeming 

 to enjoy themselves in perfect abandon. 



In some of their movements these 

 plovers remind me of the actions of the 

 sandhill crane. Sometime in May the 

 pair makes selection of their summer 

 home, and during the month deposit 

 four pyriform eggs in a very shiftless 

 inartistic nest on the ground, after the 

 manner of most of the birds of this fam- 

 ily. The structure is composed of a 

 little grass and in situations far remov- 

 ed from water in most instance. The 



eggs are speckled with brownish on a 

 light butr, and are nearly always found 

 with their smaller ends together for con- 

 venience of the setter. 



Although the eggs are not concealed 

 in any way, still it is a diOicult matter 

 to find them, even when one knows the 

 part of the field in which the birds are 

 nesting. The surest way to find the 

 nest is to observe the movements of the 

 birds. But even this is not always easy 

 for the old bird is ever alert, and after 

 you have seen the shy bird alight and 

 disappear, you will frequently find that 

 the sly creature will sneak from the nest 

 through the grass when you approach 

 the situation. When there are young 

 on the ground the old birds will try the 

 allurements of this kind of birds, and 

 attempt to lead you from the situation 

 by feigning lameness. 



There are many species of birds in 

 America which are not included in the 

 arbitrary list called game birds, and yet 

 are held in high esteem by the shooting 

 fraternity. It is hard y fnir to give the 

 woodcock and j ick snipe a higher posi- 

 tion in the scale of the gunner's estima- 

 tion simply because they lie well to the 

 dog, while many others of this and other 

 families will not do so. The list of game 

 birds, as well as fishes is simply an ar- 

 bitrary one, and we are at liberty to 

 make a list to suit the fancy of each 

 hunter. 



The Field Plover, according to my 

 observation of more than a quarter of a 

 century, is one of the most alert and 

 wary snipes that we have; and anyone 

 who proves himself capable of stalking 

 the birds in their selected quarters, 

 gives evidence of possessing the prowess 

 of an educated nimrod. Because of its 

 scarcity, and as well from its elusive 

 ways, it is but little, or not at all known 

 to the gunner who habitually hunts with 

 a dog, for that class of men rarely comes 

 in contact with it, as we know that the 

 gunner who hunts with a dog are not 

 generally shooters. Nevertheless, there 



