° 1912 J Moore, Least Sandpiper in the Magdalen Islands. 213 



an equipment sufficient for absolute safety, as long as they remain 

 in the dark marshes. That they do not stay there long, I feel 

 confident, for a parent and two young, not over three days old, were 

 discovered by us on July 2 in a stretch of sand, bordering the beach 

 and a long distance from a possible nesting-locality. Here against 

 this white background, relieved only by spikes of grass, they were 

 very conspicuous and the lack of protection made the parent 

 frantically anxious. Piping a frenzied flight song, she whirled 

 over our heads and dashed to earth, there to trail excitedly in a 

 vain effort to confuse attention. To protect, to warn, to guide in 

 the search for food, these seem to be the chief parental functions 

 at this stage. That the young are able to find food and water for 

 themselves, we had evidence the next day, for these two were kept 

 over night and, when they were let loose, ran at once to a stream of 

 water coursing across the beach, boldly waded in and drank deep. 

 Quite as adept they were in finding food. Our attempts to re- 

 catch these nimble youngsters brought to light a use of wing, I 

 would not have credited to two-day old chicks. At the moment 

 of imminent capture they would raise their featherless flippers and 

 flap them vigorously, as if anticipating a surer method of escape in 

 the near future! 



Interesting as this precocity was, it did not appeal to me so 

 much as the guileless disposition of the adult birds. From a 

 customary gunner's experience with Shore-birds I expected these 

 abused Sand-peeps to be extremely shy in their northern homes. 

 The truth was a revelation of gentleness of character, apparently 

 inherent in the whole species, in astounding contrast with the bitter 

 treatment, accorded them on our southern beaches. Never have 

 I known any birds more docile, more absolutely free from the 

 resentful instinct, than these wee fluffs of life. My caged canary 

 when suddenly disturbed, pecks and scratches, but these wild 

 Sand-peeps permitted themselves to be caught and handled with- 

 out once resorting to natural weapons of defense. Indeed all their 

 actions about the nest in the presence of human beings indicate a 

 nature at once bold and gentle, fearless and tame, combined in a 

 disposition about as lovable as that of any wild creature I know, 

 and this despite the fact, that they are as consistently "collected" 

 on the nesting-grounds, as they are shot on the migration beaches. 



