1907 ] Bent, Summer Birds of Southwestern Saskatchewan. 427 



tance from water, but owing to its habit of flying a long distance to meet 

 the intruder and making a great fuss everywhere but near its nest, we suc- 

 ceeded in finding only one nest. This was in plain sight in short grass on 

 a prairie hill and on June 14, 1906; it contained 3 fresh eggs. Downy 

 young were taken on July 6 and 13, 1906. In addition to quite a variety 

 of loud calls and alarm notes, it has an interesting flight song; particularly 

 towards evening, we often saw one of these birds, flying in large circles 

 high in the air, pouring out a rapid stream of whistling notes, sounding 

 like pill-ivill-willet, repeated over and over again for a period of several 

 minutes. 



56. Bartramia longicauda. Bartramian Sandpiper. — Common on 

 the prairies and meadows, breeding in the grassy hollows on the prairies, 

 often at a long distance from any water, but more frequently near the 

 lakes or meadows. The nests were always very well hidden by arching 

 the grass over them. Nests were found with eggs, on May 29, June 8 and 

 15, 1905, and on June 11, 1906. Downy young were found on June 24, 

 1906. The birds are very close sitters. 



57. Actitis macularia. Spotted Sandpiper. — Uncommon. One or 

 two pairs were generally to be found breeding on the islands. They were 

 also occasionally seen along the creeks. Two nests were found on June 

 14, 1906. 



58. Numenius longirostris. Long-billed Curlew. — Tolerably com- 

 mon in scattered pairs on the prairies. Also sometimes seen in small 

 flocks of from 5 to 7 birds about the lakes. Breeds in the grassy hollows 

 on the prairies. No nests were found with eggs. Downy young were 

 found on June 1, 1905, and on June 11 and 18, 1906. When large enough 

 to run the downy young are adepts in the art of hiding; they seem to dis- 

 appear entirely even in the short grass; after hunting carefully, for fully 

 half an hour, over a limited area where we had seen one vanish, we gave it 

 up and walked away, when we were surprised to see the youngster get 

 up and run away from the very spot we had been hunting hardest. Both 

 parents always showed remarkable devotion and solicitude in utter dis- 

 regard of their own safety. 



We saw an interesting exhibition of this one day which probably suc- 

 ceeded in saving the lives of the young from a prowling coyote. The curlew 

 was decoying the coyote away by feigning lameness, flopping along on the 

 ground a few yards ahead of him, but always managing to barely escape 

 him. We watched them for some time until they finally disappeared over 

 a hill, fully half a mile from where we first saw them. 



59. Squatarola squatarola. Black-bellied Plover. — Abundant mi- 

 grant. Large flocks were seen about Hay Lake on May 29, 1905, and 

 scattering small flocks were seen as late as June 2, 1905. 



6(5. Oxyechus vociferus. Killdeer. — Common about all the lakes 

 where it was evidently breeding, but we did not succeed in finding any 

 nests. Downy young were found on June 13, 1906. 



61. .^Egialitis semipalmata. Semipalmated Plover. — Dr. Bishop 



