COMMON SANDPIPER. 541 



young are hatched, her manners completely alter, and the 

 greatest agitation is expressed on the apprehension of danger, 

 and every stratagem is tried, such as feigning lameness, and 

 inability of flight, to divert the attention of the intruder from 

 the unfledged brood. A writer in the vicinity of Clitheroe, 

 in Lancashire, says,* " The Common Sandpiper breeds with 

 us ; and I this year started an old one from her nest, at the 

 root of a fir tree. She screamed out, and rolled about in 

 such a manner, and seemed so completely disabled, that, al- 

 though perfectly aware that her intention was to allure me 

 from her nest, I could not resist my inclination to pursue 

 her, and, in consequence, I had great difficulty in finding the 

 nest again. It was built of a few dried leaves of the Wey- 

 mouth pine, and contained three young ones, just hatched, 

 and an egg, through the shell of which the bill of the young- 

 chick was just making its way ; yet, young as they were, on 

 my taking out the egg to examine it, the little things, Avhich 

 could not have been out of their shells more than an hour or 

 two, set off out of the nest with as much celerity as if they 

 had been running about a fortnight. As I thought the old 

 one would abandon the egg if the young ones left the nest, 

 I caught them again, and covering them up with my hand for 

 some time, they settled down again. Next day all four had 

 disappeared."" The adult Sandpiper can swim and dive well, 

 however inapplicable to such a purpose the feet of this little 

 bird may appear to be ; and Mr, Selby mentions, that the 

 young too, when three weeks or a month old, just before 

 they are able to fly, if discovered and attempted to be caught, 

 they boldly take to the water, diving repeatedly, and to a 

 considerable distance ; a provision wisely granted, as being 

 so well adapted to insure their safety in the unfledged state. 

 The authors of the catalogue of the Norfolk and Suffolk 

 Birds, say, " Some years since we saw a Sandpiper flying 

 * Magazine of Natural History, vol. vi. p. 148. 



