NORTHWARD WITH THE SHORE-BIRDS 229 
ing of this, I came at once and found the birds acting as de¬ 
scribed, and alighting a good deal in the adjoining field of 
short grass. It was evident that they had young, so two of 
us made a thorough search for them. At one place the sand¬ 
pipers were especially so¬ 
licitous, and here we soon 
found an egg-shell, and pre¬ 
sently the whole brood of 
four of about the most cun¬ 
ning bird-mites I ever had 
seen. They were of a mot¬ 
tled rich brown and white, 
and were squatting close 
together amid some sparse 
grass, perfectly motionless, 
and so blending with their 
surroundings that we had 
overlooked them many 
times. No nest could be 
found, and yet here were the newly hatched young, too feeble, 
seemingly, to have travelled but a few steps. 
This was a prize indeed, a splendid complement for my 
other Least Sandpiper pictures, — for they were of this spe¬ 
cies. After photographing them, I placed the camera so as to 
secure a picture of the mother brooding. She would not ven¬ 
ture, and the brood was becoming chilled in the raw evening 
air, so I removed the camera, and in a few seconds they were 
under mother’s wing. Next morning I readily found the brood 
again in the same field, stronger now, and running about 
singly. The old ones were as demonstrative as ever, and 
with mv reflex camera, set with the single member of my 
big double anastigmat, I secured pictures of the female upon 
stub, fence, and ground, and also of single young. That after- 
