1912 ] Moore, Leant Sandpiper in the Magdalen Islands. 21/ 



this bird evinced active concern, for she began to run in and out 

 of the tussocks, searching frantically in all directions, now and 

 then halting to get bearings and constantly giving vent to that 

 pathetic little call. (Call records No. 2 and 3.) Fearing she 

 might abandon the home, I thought to relieve her, when at that 

 moment she ran up to the sticks again, glanced at a tuft of grass 

 four inches to the right, which seemed to be a landmark, gazed at 

 the sticks searchingly, and at length recognized the nest. Instead 

 of trying to lift the sticks out, she attempted to shove under them, 

 but found them too bulky to move. So she pried them up with 

 her bill, gradually working into the nest as she pried. (Plate XIII, 



fig. 1.) 



Again I flushed her and determined to make as hard a problem 

 as possible. First, I stamped down the tufted hillock which threw 

 shadows from the setting sun and next, covered the nest com- 

 pletely with a mass of yellow straw. Again she overran the nest 

 and this time seemed completely l)ewildered. Astonished by the 

 disappearance of the landmark, she ran swiftly away, as if be- 

 witched, and crouched flat in a mud-hole, her whole attitute being 

 one of fright. But it was not long before she adjusted her ideas 

 to the new conditions, ran up to the straw, inserted the bill under- 

 neath, and crept under. Her body struggled under the burden 

 and disappeared; the straw shook convulsively, evidence that the 

 home was being put to rights. For an instant it seemed she would 

 walk off with the new roof, but finally the struggles subsided and a 

 head popped out with a frightened look as much as to say: "What 

 new plots are you concocting now?" 



In order to secure photographs I had to disturb her a number of 

 times and the last time, she retired five feet to the east and without 

 warning shot up into the sky. As she flew, she sang the flight 

 song. (Song record No. 1.) I hoped she would return, but no, 

 she kept on ascending and singing as she climbed, repeating the 

 song over and over with but slight pause. A certain wildness 

 about it betokened final farewell and it certainly was final for that 

 afternoon. Two days later contrary to my fears, I found her again 

 on her nest, a returned songster. 



This day the 22nd, I determined to catch her in order to ascertain 

 positively that there was no webbing between the toes. Kneeling 



