66 BIRDS OF P. E. ISLAND 



Not SO uncommon is the Semipalmated Sand- 

 piper, endless flocks of which swarm along our 

 muddy shores in September, tripping with dainty 

 steps among the mud and weeds, as they secure 

 their meal of marine insects. At first, you think 

 that the Pewits have increased suddenly in num- 

 bers. But then you observe their clear white 

 underparts, and that they have not the habit of 

 bobbing up and down their tails, and when they 

 rise and fly, their steady flight tells you that the 

 Northern birds have returned from their nesting. 



Nearly related to the last is the Least Sand- 

 piper, or Peep. It too goes to nest among the 

 " fogs of rock - girdled Labrador ; " but, as I have 

 seen it, during the breeding season, on the 

 borders of our own breezy marshes and sun -lit 

 ponds, I think it sometimes nests among those 

 green swells that lie on the southern side of the 

 Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is the least of the 

 Sandpipers, and, presuming on its own insignifi- 

 cance, it is the least inclined to fly at the 

 approach of man. Often, when every other bird 

 on the marsh had taken wing at our approach, 

 we have found ourselves right among a group 

 of those peeping trifles, unconcernedly exploring 

 the riches of some muddy hole right at our feet. 



