SHORE-BIRD LOITERERS 
243 
preened their feathers ; now they stood lovingly side by side ; 
then they walked around a bit, came within ten yards of me, 
tripped over the thread, continued their stroll, then came back. 
Now and then one of them, probably the female, would patter 
down to the region of the eggs, to see that they were all right, 
and then run back to its mate. As they trotted around me, 
they seemed to gaze at me intently, and yet apparently did 
not realize that I was anything more than another piece of 
wood. 
This was all very ]:)retty, but I was becoming terribly un¬ 
comfortable. My neck felt at the breaking point, my back 
sore, and my skin fairly broiled, yet the Oyster-catcher seemed 
to have no thought of incubating during the livelong day. An 
hour and a half jDassed slowly by, when the bird took another 
run and happened to go close by the camera. For the first 
time she noticed that something unusual was there. She ran 
off and brought her mate, and the two looked the thing over, 
and plaved hot and cold, as they say. Finally the female 
seemed to think that the eggs might be getting cooked in 
the sun, and that she had better shade them a bit. She went 
almost to them, and ran away from the dreadful lens. This 
was done half a dozen times, and then what did the pair 
do but saunter off to the other end of the island! I feared all 
was up with mv little enterprise. But after some moments 
the mother bird came j^addling back. I was so far away that 
I could not see the eggs, but when she squatted down close 
in front of the camera, I knew she must l:»e over them. Just 
as I started to pull the string, her fears overcame her and off 
she went. It took ten minutes more of manceuvring before 
she again took her position upon the nest-hollow, side to the 
camera. As quicklv as possible I drew the thread taut. At 
the click of the shutter she leaped in terror, and away she ran 
with her mate far from the danger. The game was up, and 
