beneath, like a family of rag-pickers each with 

 a little stick to turn things over. Mother 

 and chicks have a contented little twitter at 

 such times that I have never heard under 

 any other circumstances, which is probably 

 intended to encourage each other and keep 

 all the family within hearing as they run 

 about in the twilight. 



When the feeding-grounds are far away 

 from the nest, as is often the case, Whitoo- 

 week has two habits that are not found, I 

 think, in any other game birds except per- 

 haps the plover ; and 1 have never been able 

 to watch the young of these birds, though 

 every new observation of the old ones serves 



to convince me that they are the most remark- )^f i 



ffli' 



able birds that visit us, and the least under- ^Mtf/K* 



stood. When food must be hunted 

 for at a long distance, the mother 

 will leave her brood in hiding and 

 go herself to fetch it. When she 

 returns she feeds the chicks, like 

 a mother dove, by putting her bill 

 in their throats and giving each 

 his portion, going and coming 



3> 



