The Birds’ Calendar 
enigmatical in offering the largest encourage- 
ment to man’s efforts to apprehend the scheme 
of creation, and at the same time apparently 
mocking his labors by her impenetrable mys- 
teries. Yet this contradiction has its advan- 
tage. Without success in his research, man 
would become discouraged ; and without fail- 
ure, conceited. 
Another of the ‘‘ waders,’’ appearing in the 
Park soon after the herons, is the spotted sand- 
piper. The sandpipers are a family of small 
and plainly colored birds, most of the species 
frequenting the sea-coast or salt-marshes ; but 
the spotted and solitary sandpipers are fresh- 
water birds. A pair of the former remained at 
the Lake several days. It is from seven to eight 
inches long, dark above, and beneath white, 
thickly spotted with dark. Their flight is 
quite peculiar. With one quick stroke of the 
wings they can propel themselves a long dis- 
tance, and, by repeating at intervals the single 
vibration, they appear to be floating in air, as 
with motionless wing they speed along close to 
the water. When standing on the ground they 
have a ludicrous trick of ducking the head and 
jerking the body, the purpose of which is quite 
unaccountable, a habit that has given them the 
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