DECEIVING WILD CREATURES. 17 



I had now to face the distinct disadvantage 

 of having to reveal myself in order to readjust 

 the mechanism in the interior of my " old 

 favourite/' and it was two hours before the bird 

 would again venture on to her nest ; and I do 

 not believe she would have done so even then 

 had it not been for the confidence-inspiring 

 presence of her mate. Whilst she sat covering 

 her eggs, as shown in our illustration, the cock 

 stood on one leg upon a large stone close by, 

 preening himself in the most unconcerned matter- 

 of-fact way. Several times he stretched a leg 

 and a wing in that sweetly pretty way so common 

 amongst the waders. 



During my long wait I was not quite idle. 

 From a peephole on one side of the rush-clad 

 tent I watched a pair of wheatears assiduously 

 entering and leaving a hole amongst some earth- 

 bound rocks on a steep brae side, wherein they 

 had a family of hungry chicks. I said to myself, 

 " It is your turn next," and after making a second 

 exposure on the sandpiper, moved the whole of 

 my plant lock, stock, and barrel over to the 

 new field of action. 



I had noticed that nearly every time the 

 wheatears came along with food they alighted 

 for a moment on a view-commanding stone close 

 by their nesting hole. This I supposed to be 

 done in order to make quite sure that no enemy 

 c 



