""■■"••'C CAMPING IN A BARRANCA m::::::::: 



appeared as fond of each otlier's company as the rest 

 of their sandpiper relations. These graceful little birds 

 were forever scurrying along the shallows, probing and 

 probing for what, they only knew. Their whistling cry 

 as they alighted was the signal for the Killdeers to leave. 

 There was never any open hostility displayed between 

 the two species, and surely there was food enough for 

 hundreds, yet the Killdeers flew across the stream or 

 on, out of sight, when the sandpipers appeared. 



A remarkable mystery is woven about the breeding 

 habits of the Solitary Sandpipers. In the North, during 

 migrations, it is seldom that these sandpipers cannot 

 be found when searched for ; even during the summer 

 they have been observed again and again. Yet so 

 carefully do they conceal their nests and eggs, that but 

 one or two have ever been discovered. Would that 

 some of our rarer birds had equal skill ! 



These little waders certainly enjoyed their feasts of 

 worms and " bugs, " but they were exposed to many 

 dangers along the open stream, and they had ever to 

 keep a sharp lookout skyward for enemies. One day 

 a small flock of Solitaries, off their guard for a moment, 

 had a narrow escape. Tliey were feeding quietly near 

 camp when a Mexican Black Hawk suddenly appeared 

 upon the scene and instantly swooped upon them. A 

 more magnificent dash I never saw ; a full-rounded 

 aerial dive from fifty yards away, increasing to light- 

 ning speed, its focus being the group of unconscious 



<i- 135 -^ 



