The Birds and Poets 189 



over the fields as if hurrying to some distant ren- 

 dezvous. 



Among the late migrants, in addition to the her- 

 mit thrush, may be mentioned the juncos, the ruby- 

 crowned and golden-crowned kinglets, and some 

 of the shore birds. With one of the migrating shore 

 birds I had a rather unusual experience in Novem- 

 ber. 



One bright day early in the month, feeling the 

 irresistible call of the fields, and being unable to 

 answer it, I stole an hour from my office and ran 

 away to Lincoln Park. I found many old nests 

 among the bushes that had bared their slender 

 limbs to the November wind, but finding few birds 

 I walked over to the lake where I hoped to see 

 some shore or water birds. A large flock of her- 

 ring and Bonaparte gulls were floating on the 

 water, while others circled about, "searching the 

 blue dome with keening cry." The beach at the 

 point where I approached the lake is in reality a 

 concrete breakwater, running down to the water's 

 edge, an ugly cement imitation of a sandy shore. 

 Along such a beach I had no hopes of seeing any 

 shore birds feeding at the water's edge. With my 

 attention fixed upon the gulls scattered about over 

 the lake I almost stepped upon a pair of red- 

 backed sandpipers running about at the edge of the 

 water, apparently as well satisfied as if the cement 

 were white sand. They seemed very tame, as unmo- 

 lested migrating birds usually are, uttering no cry 

 of alarm, and making no effort to run or fly away. 



