156 FEATHERED GAME 



on the drifting ' * thatch ' ' in the quietest corners 

 of the marsh. When pushing for rails the gun- 

 ner often interrupts their noon-day nap, almost 

 driving his craft over them before they take 

 wing, returning at once when the boat has 

 passed. 



The spring migrations take place during 

 April and May, and they nest far into the north. 

 It is usually as late as August fifteenth before 

 they begin to arrive in any numbers in New 

 England marshes, where they stay well into 

 October. 



The most common of the Sandpipers here are 

 the Least and the Semipalmated. Both these 

 little fellows range over a large part of our 

 hemisphere, the latter travelling from the West 

 Indies, Central and South America to the ex- 

 treme north, mainly on the eastern slope of the 

 continent. The Least Sandpiper is even more 

 of a wanderer, for besides covering the same 

 wide range of country as his cousin he finds time 

 to visit Europe occasionally. 



The Least Sandpiper as we see him in his 

 summer dress is colored above with dusky 

 brown and black through the centres of the 

 feathers, the edges tinged with reddish brown 



