doggett] nature study at highland camp 177 



identified by our eminent guest. I afterwards saw this eagle 

 several times on the Songo river; twice, on the sam.e tall, dead 

 tree, where he m:ade a fitting top to a fin^flag pole, which lacked 

 only the Am.erican colors to bring our party to attention and salute. 



Our m.ost prized nature trips were made in the early m.oming. 

 A "war" canoe was loaded with Hfe-preserver cushions, a few boxes 

 of crackers and six or m.ore happy and excited children. We 

 slowly and quietly followed the shallow shores of the river or lake 

 and, although out after birds, we always saw m.uch of interest 

 in the way of cranberries, lillies and other aquatic plants. 



Because it was quite near our starting point, we always passed an 

 overhanging tree, where some kingbirds had m.ade their nest. 

 The mother bird was usually on the nest and the father, perched 

 on a limb nearby. As we approached, the m.ale bird would fly 

 excitedly from perch to perch; then the mother would leave the 

 nest and both would scream, in fright and anxiety and sweep down 

 towards us, so near that the children in the canoe had to be 

 reassured and cautioned to ignore the noisy dem.onstration. One 

 day we found the eggs gone and the nest slightly tipped to one side 

 — the work, evidently of som.e woodland enemy who had no fear 

 of the poor birds' loud but ineffectual m.ethods of home protection . 

 We did not visit the place again for som.e tim.e; but then, to our 

 astonishm.ent, we found two eggs in the nest once more. Another 

 pair of kingbirds, with whose home we were familiar, located in a 

 little cl-um.p of bushes growing on a sandbar, quite a distance from 

 the shore. We watched these birds from day to day ; saw the eggs 

 and then the young, as they grew and prospered, until they were 

 big enough to fly. Then, as so often happens, tragedy overtook 

 them. The distance to the shore was so great that, probably, all 

 were drowned; for we found one little helpless bird in the water. 



Other interesting friends in our bird study, were the sandpipers. 

 They were always running along the shore and flying from point to 

 point am.ong the floating logs and tree stum.ps, in search of food. 

 Their curious little "tip-up" or "teeter", from which they get 

 their comir.on nam.e, is unmistakable. Our friend the kingfisher 

 was often near, as his vigorous rattle told us. He often darted 

 from his perch on a dead tree to get his early breakfast from tlie 

 water. 



Sometines when we heard a crow in the distance and felt sure 

 that we had not been seen by him, we woukl ])ad(llc into a little 



