472 SANDPIPERS AND RELATED SPECIES 



round-leaved Carex. 1 Incubation is shared by both sexes, but the 

 data are insufficient to say in what proportion. Harvie-Brown and 

 Seebohm state that only the female is seen at the nest; 2 the Rev. 

 H. H. Slater found the male sitting more often than the female ; 3 and 

 Mr. Trevor-Battye states that he never saw more than one bird at a 

 nest, and out of seven secured, five were females and two males. 4 All 

 agree as to the wonderful fearlessness displayed by this engaging little 

 Wader. The Rev. H. H. Slater relates of one bird, that it came and 

 sat in the empty nest while he and his companions were sitting within 

 a yard blowing its eggs ! 5 It performs complicated manoeuvres in its 

 endeavours to distract attention from its nest, " shamming lame- 

 ness," and pitching forward on to its breast with quivering wings and 

 spread tail, uttering the while a variety of squeaking notes. 6 Mr. 

 Trevor-Battye observed that a little-stint brooding young, when startled 

 suddenly, kicked her chicks out of the nest as she went off. By way of 

 experiment he allowed her to settle, and again put her off, when the 

 same thing happened. This was repeated six times, and each time 

 some of the chicks were kicked out of the nest. One only was kicked 

 out on one occasion, two on four occasions, and once she kicked out 

 three, one a few inches to one side, and two a " long foot " on either 

 side. Mr. Trevor-Battye has observed a similar proceeding by the 

 rednecked-phalarope and the ringed-plover, 7 and I have seen snipe 

 scatter their young in the same way. It is a point deserving further 

 attention. Voluntary scattering when danger threatens is a common 

 ruse with the young of ground-nesting birds, and a bird covering 

 young might save at least part of her brood by scattering them with 

 her feet when forced by the appearance of an enemy to take flight. 



The purple-sandpiper in the Faroes and Iceland nests on 

 high fells and mountain-sides, but in its more northern breeding-places 

 the nest is seldom much above sea-level, and is frequently found 



1 Ibis, 1876, p. 303. > Ibid. 



3 British Birds, their Nests and Eggs, v. p. 128. 



4 Icebound on Kolguev, p. 435. 6 British Birds, their Nests and Eggs, v. p. 128. 

 Ibid. ; see also Icebound on Kolguev, p. 435 ; and Ibis, 1876, p. 303. 



7 Icebound on Kolguev, p. 433. 



