72 THE BIOLOGY OF HARDING COUNTY 



common water bird. Almost every pond, or even permanent 

 puddle has its brood and each lake is the home of several 

 pairs. Though in our state killdeers prefer to nest near 

 water, I have found broods who could claim only a small 

 patch of moist earth as their own. But you may be sure this 

 wet ground was claimed as vociferously as though it had been 

 an artesian well pond. 



The Killdeer is one of our noisiest of birds. Its loud 

 killdee, killdee, killdee, repeated incessantly is heard so fre- 

 quently as to be familiar to all. In fact its harshness is 

 such that it often is an unwelcome call. However, I never 

 met a "man with soul so dead" as not to be thrilled by the 

 cheerful calls of the first killdeer to return in March. 



ir This bird has an exasperating habit of signalling the ap- 

 proach of an intruder. Often it. will fly a quarter of a mile 

 with loud outcries to meet and scold the sportsman who is 

 trying to get within shot of a flock of ducks, and it will often 

 follow a man or dog a long way, advertising his presence. 

 If the nest of downy young be approached the parents re- 

 double their complaints and may become almost frantic in 

 their endeavors to lead us away. They run ahead, limp, fall 

 over, flutter seemingly helplessly and otherwise pretend to be 

 wounded. I suspect that every boy at least once in his career 

 was so well deceived that he chased after the wounded bird 

 only to find that a sudden cure has taken place. Again and 

 again have I seen a daring mother so tempt a dog by flut- 

 tering almost within his reach as to lead him far from her 

 helpless young. Such is the mother instinct ! 



"The Killdeer is particularly valuable to the farmer on 

 account of its fondness for grasshoppers and for insects of 

 cultivated land. As many as 49 locusts have been taken from 

 a single Killdeer's stomach and the average of six stomachs 

 was 44." 



Piping Plover (Aegialitis ineloda}. One seen and heard on Box- 

 elder Creek, July 17-18. 



Prairie Chicken (Tyinpannchns aincricanns). Fairly abundant 

 resident in the valleys near the Short Pine Hills. Feeds 

 almost solely on "buffalo-berries" during their season, August 

 and September. 



