172 NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



the immediate localities of the nests, the excitement increased. 

 Nearer and nearer they swooped toward us, and now one of 

 their most interesting habits was shown. Like night-hawks, par- 

 tridges and other land birds, they simulated weakness and ex- 

 treme disablement. No other species in the vicinity practised this 

 deceit, but there was no mistaking the intentions of the Skimmers. 

 They exerted themselves to the utmost to decoy us away, and al- 

 ways in one direction — toward the sea. The birds swooped at us 

 from right or left, and when close turned sharply outward and 

 flapped slowly toward the water, keeping close to the sand. They 

 struck forcibly with their breasts every hummock of sea-weed in 

 their path, and their progression until they reached the edge of the 

 breakers was a succession of bumps. When only hard damp 

 sand was in their path they lowered their tiny red feet, and partly 

 broke the force of the concussion. When we actually reached the 

 eggs of the outlying nests of the colony, the owners redoubled 

 their efforts, and it was a strange sight to see several go bounding 

 along, occasionally rolling head over heels and lying still a mo- 

 ment, perhaps weakly waving one wing. When they saw that all 

 their efforts were unavailing, the whole flock flew to the edge of 

 the water and alighted. Here they remained until we left the 

 vicinity of their eggs. When thus resting at a distance they 

 looked more like little top-heavy wooden manikins, or a lot of 

 badly made decoys, than like living birds. 



We found it a very pleasant experience to leave our tents at 

 the first hint of dawn and walk up the beach, this proving a very 

 favorable time to study the birds, as they seemed less wary at 

 this early hour. The weird ghost-crabs scurried away before us 

 like silent sand-wraiths, and disappeared into their tunnels. 

 They abounded everywhere, and it was quite startling, at first, to 

 awaken in one's tent and see several of these little creatures, twid- 

 dling their absurd stalked eyes at the entrance of their newly dug 

 burrow at one's bedside. If a heavy dew had fallen during the 

 night and no wind had disturbed the sand, we could read on its 

 surface, or on newly fallen snow, the record of every creature 

 which had stirred. Here a worm had burrowed to the surface, 

 crawled some distance and vanished, but the imprint of a pair of 

 gull's feet near by explained the mysterious disappearance. Far- 

 ther on we noticed a crab encircling a Skimmer's eggs with his 

 complicated trail — a mark more sinister than we then supposed. 

 A picture of another Skimmer's nest taken in the early morning, 

 shows evidence of her faithfulness; her tracks to the nest, the 

 impression of her forked tail and the deep lines where her lower 



