Sandpipers and Young 171 



that I lifted it back into the nest, and very soon the male 

 had climbed, bobbing and swaying the while, up the bank, 

 and settled himself upon it, upraising his lower feathers as 

 he did so, so as to bring the chicks into closer contact with 

 his warm breast. The female had meanwhile disappeared 

 amongst her clump of rushes, so I got up and walked 

 across to have a look at it. It was some time before I 

 could see anything of her ; not, in fact, till I began to part 

 the rushes with my stick. Then she tumbled out across 

 my feet, and went fluttering down the road, feigning lame- 

 ness. Careful search revealed a third chick, and this I 

 carried over and put into the nest beside the other two, and 

 resumed my seat on the stone. The same thing was then 

 repeated ; the male quickly returned to the nest, and the 

 female again vanished into the bunch of rushes. I walked 

 across the road once more, but this time the female refused 

 to be driven from her charge. I found her crouching under 

 cover of the matted stems, her bright eyes intently fixed on 

 mine, and as she did not move I picked her up in my hand. 

 She scarcely struggled at all, and pressed closely to her 

 breast, and held firmly there between her legs I saw she 

 had the fourth chick. When she moved, the young one 

 was dropped into my hand, and I vainly tried to get it into 

 position again before allowing her to go. When released, 

 she merely dropped at my feet, and went on feigning lame- 

 ness as before, though she had been in my hands for two or 

 three minutes. The chick was so weak that it could scarcely 

 stand in the wet, so I placed it in the nest beside the others, 

 sheltering the whole from the rain beneath a Butter-bur 

 leaf, and watched the male contentedly resume his seat 

 upon all four. Feeling that I had then intruded sufficiently 

 upon them for the time, I withdrew, hoping to renew my 

 acquaintance with them later, when perhaps the weather 

 should have cleared up a little ; but on my return in the 

 afternoon, the nest was deserted, and the whole family were 

 discovered amongst the shingle by the side of the stream 

 two hundred yards away. Quite apart from this second 

 journey, I am sure that the two young ones could not have 

 found their own way across the road, to the shelter of the 



