74 FEATHERED GAME 



ually contains four drab or clay-colored eggs 

 with dark brown splashes upon them. The 

 nesting season begins about the first to the mid- 

 dle of May, and by August, or even earlier, 

 straggling birds have begun their wanderings, 

 moving lazily and comfortably from place to 

 place along-shore. Often parties of them lin- 

 ger in our borders until fairly '' warned out" 

 by the frosts of approaching winter. 



These are more maritime than are the golden 

 plovers, which mainly make their migrations 

 overland. The Beetleheads seem to prefer the 

 sea-coasts for their travels, it may be for safety, 

 perhaps also for the certainty of abundant 

 food. They are sometimes fairly numerous in- 

 land during the fall months, making ''short 

 cuts," maybe, in order to favor the younger 

 travellers. Northern and eastern New Eng- 

 land is not so well acquainted with this bird, 

 the greater part of the flights, both spring and 

 fall, passing us by in a direct course over the 

 water between the southern cape of Nova Sco- 

 tia and Cape Cod. Comparatively few of the 

 migrant waders visit the coast line between 

 these points. The few that do so are mostly 

 birds which have bred within our borders or 



