286 AMERICAN ORNITHOLOGY. 



been about. As she walked about my hiding place, I could often have 

 reached out and touched her; it seemed strange to be so near an un- 

 restrained, wild bird; I could even see the changing expressions in her 

 eyes. 



Invariably, when returning to the nest, she would feel of all the eggs 

 with her bill, then carefully step on or between them , spread her feathers 

 and settle down to her task. When sitting, her wings were drooped so 

 as to rest on the ground, and her head was usually drawn well down on 

 the shoulders. She seemed to be interested in all that transpired about 

 her, watching the small birds as they flitted through the pines, and 

 twisting her head way around to see every bird that flew overhead. 

 Twice I had an opportunity to watch her when some one was approach- 

 ing. She saw a man coming through the trees even before I heard 

 him; her feathers drew closer to her sides and she became as motion- 

 less as the stone beside her, in fact she resembled this stone so much 

 that there was little danger of her being discovered. When the man 

 had come to within about twenty yards she very carefully slipped from 

 the eggs and ran, or rather sneaked through the grass, to a distance of 

 perhaps thirty feet from the nest, and hid behind a larger stone. The 

 man passed within a few feet of me but did not notice anything and 

 was soon lost to view. The Sandpiper came leisurely back, stopping 

 several times to pick up insects. The next time we were disturbed we 

 did not escape so easily. A man approached from the rear so that Mrs. 

 Sandpiper could not see him and stayed on the nest; on he came, lum- 

 bering over all the bushes in the way, turning out for nothing, and I 

 was forced to rise up and stop him as he was about to clamber through 

 my ambush. He started back as though he had seen a ghost, with a 

 "Wall I swan! I never seed yer!" Of course I was obliged to explain 

 that I was making photographs, but I did not tell him what of, and he 

 did not see the nest or the bird which, being frightened, was running 

 away with a "broken" leg and wing, and piping loudly. 



About every fifteen minutes, while I was watching her, she would 

 half rise and tread with her feet until she had turned every egg over; 

 she always turned them over, also, after having been away feeding for 

 a short time. 



Quite often she would answer the male birds as they called to each 

 other or to their mates, from down at the pond. It sounded alarmingly 

 loud and clear to hear her call, at such a short distance. Always when 

 returning to the nest, she would utter low sweet whistles in varying but 

 very clear tones. Just once I heard her, while she was on the nest, 

 give a series of whistles or warbles. She was undoubtedly so happy 



