47 2 The Water-fowl Family 



surroundings, it is almost impossible to distinguish 

 them. At the approach of danger the old bird 

 slips from the nest, and running quietly off, rises 

 at some distance, betraying its anxiety in plaintive 

 cries and attempting to distract the attention of 

 the intruder to itself. It is believed by some to 

 cover its eggs only at night and in stormy weather, 

 relying on the sun to assist in incubation. The 

 young are hatched in July, and the little chicks 

 keep high up on the beach at first, but when they 

 are fledged follow the parents to the water's edge, 

 where they feed on insects abounding in the soft 

 sand, left wet by receding surf. In August, gath- 

 ering in small flocks, they occasionally straggle to 

 the flats inside and associate with the ring-neck 

 and peep. The young birds resemble the adults 

 closely in plumage, but are without the black 

 markings on the neck and head. They begin the 

 migration south about three weeks after the old 

 birds, appearing in limited numbers on the New 

 England and Long Island coasts early in Sep- 

 tember. From their abundance farther north and 

 the scarcity here, it would seem that many keep 

 on their migration until more southern climes are 

 reached. 



This species also occurs in the interior in the 

 vicinity of the Great Lakes, following the Missis- 

 sippi Valley south. In the extreme of its western 

 range, it comes into contact with the western 



