180 HISTORY OF THE 



and the birds begin to gather into flocks along the muddy edges 

 of the brackish pools and the banks of tide creeks. Very soon 

 after this they begin to lose their summer plumage, and the 

 moult continues until the last of September or first of October. 

 During the first of October they are very common in flocks, and 

 singly among the lakes and streams; a little later, and the bor- 

 ders of these situations are edged with ice, and most of the birds 

 leave for the south, but some of the hardier ones betake them- 

 selves to the sea shore, where they join with Coues' Sandpiper, 

 and remain as late as the 12th or 13th of the month. 



"Soon after they arrive in the spring, they are engaged in 

 pairing, and the males may be seen upon quivering wings flying 

 after the female, and uttering a musical, trilling note, which falls 

 upon the ear like the mellow tinkle of large water drops falling 

 rapidly into a partly filled vessel. Imagine the sounds thus pro- 

 duced by the water run together into a steady and rapid trill, 

 some five to ten seconds in length, and the note of this Sand- 

 piper is represented. It is not loud, but has a rich, full tone, 

 difficult to describe, but pleasing to hear among the discordant 

 notes of the various water fowl, whose hoarse cries arise on all 

 sides. As the lover's suit approaches its end, the handsome 

 suitor becomes exalted, and in his moments of excitement he 

 rises fifteen or twenty yards, and, hovering on tremulous wings 

 over the object of his passion, pours forth a perfect gush of 

 music, until he glides back to earth exhausted, but ready to re- 

 peat the effort a few minutes later. The female coyly retreats 

 before the advances of the male, but after various mishaps, each 

 bird finds its partner for the summer, and they start off house- 

 hunting in all the ardor of a rising honeymoon. They gener- 

 ally choose some dry knoll, or other slight elevation overlooking 

 the neighboring lakes and pools. Here, upon a bed of last 

 year's grasses, but without the trouble of arranging a formal 

 nest, the female deposits three or four large eggs, of a pale 

 greenish varying to pale brownish clay color with dull chocolate 

 and umber brown spots and blotches. 



' ' In some specimens the markings are rather small, and numer- 

 ous over the entire shell, but in all cases the larger end has 



