460 The Water-fowl Family 



journey north is taken along the shores, and we 

 hear the blackbreast in early May in the same 

 places he left a few months since, now attired in 

 breeding dress. The jet-black of the breast and 

 the bright mottling of the back afford a plumage 

 well suited to one of our gamiest shore-birds. 

 The Arctic countries, from the Anderson River 

 region across the continent to the Melville Pen- 

 insula, Alaska, and northern Siberia, are the 

 nesting-places. The nest is placed in the grass 

 or moss on the ground, and the eggs are laid in 

 June. 



Like so many other shore-birds, the male 

 blackbreast guards the female while she is incu- 

 bating, performing no part of the latter duty him- 

 self. If danger threatens he warns her, but keeps 

 well out of gunshot himself, even though he lose 

 all his family. With other enemies than man he 

 is more brave, boldly attacking gulls that may 

 come near his nest. By late July the young are 

 fledged and the old birds leave them. The wide 

 distribution and general popularity of this species 

 have given it a number of names: in New Eng- 

 land and Long Island, beetle-head, beetle, bull- 

 head ; on Cape Cod, maycock ; off Virginia and 

 North Carolina, plot. 



This species is common throughout northern 

 Europe, and is well known in Great Britain, 

 France, and the northern coasts. 



