SHORE-BIRD LOITERERS 243 



preened their feathers ; now they stood lovingly side by side ; 

 then they walked around a bit, came within ten yards of me, 

 tripped over the thread, continued their stroll, then came back. 

 Now and then one of them, probably the female, would patter 

 down to the region of the eggs, to see that they were all right, 

 and then run back to its mate. As they trotted around me, 

 they seemed to gaze at me intently, and yet apparently did 

 not realize that I was anything more than another piece of 

 wood. 



This was all very pretty, but I was becoming terribly un- 

 comfortable. My neck felt at the breaking point, my back 

 sore, and my skin fairly broiled, yet the Oyster-catcher seemed 

 to have no thought of incubating during the livelong day. An 

 hour and a half passed slowly by, when the bird took another 

 run and happened to go close by the camera. For the first 

 time she noticed that something unusual was there. She ran 

 off and brought her mate, and the two looked the thing over, 

 and played hot and cold, as they say. Finally the female 

 seemed to think that the eggs might be getting cooked in 

 the sun, and that she had better shade them a bit. She went 

 almost to them, and ran away from the dreadful lens. This 

 was done half a dozen times, and then what did the pair 

 do but saunter off to the other end of the island ! I feared all 

 was up with my little enterprise. But after some moments 

 the mother bird came paddling back. I was so far away that 

 I could not see the eggs, but when she squatted down close 

 in front of the camera, I knew she must be over them. Just 

 as I started to pull the string, her fears overcame her and off 

 she went. It took ten minutes more of manoeuvring before 

 she again took her position upon the nest-hollow, side to the 

 camera. As quickly as possible I drew the thread taut. At 

 the click of the shutter she leaped in terror, and away she ran 

 with her mate far from the danger. The game was up, and 



