SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 455 



accidentally raised a Spotted Sandpiper from its nest, and 

 having marked the spot, I hastened forwards ; but the shy- 

 ness of the object of my pursuit rendered all my efforts 

 unavailing, and returning to the nest I had just left I 

 expected to find it still unoccupied ; but the Sandpiper had 

 again resumed her place, and left it with great reluctance on 

 my near approach. The nest contained four eggs, which I 

 determined to remove on my return at night, and for the 

 purpose of preventing the bird sitting again upon them I 

 placed a number of stones in a slanting position over the 

 nest, and so close that it was impossible for the bird to get 

 into it. On my return in the evening, however, I observed 

 the little creature rise from beside the stones, apparently in 

 greater trepidation than ever, and more anxious to draw me 

 away by the exhibition of all those little arts which they 

 practise for this purpose. On examining the spot I was 

 very much surprised to find that the poor thing had not 

 only hollowed out a new nest, but had actually succeeded in 

 abstracting two eggs from the other nest. How the bird had 

 contrived to remove the eggs I cannot conceive, as the stones 

 remained unaltered. This attachment to its nest and eggs 

 appeared to me more singular as the bird had but just com- 

 menced incubation, the eggs exhibiting very little appearance 

 of the young.' " 



Two eggs of the Spotted Sandpiper, given to the Author 

 by Mr. Audubon, resembled those of our Common Sandpiper, 

 measuring about 1*4 by 1 in. ; of a pale reddish- white, 

 spotted and speckled with ash-grey, and two shades of 

 reddish-brown ; but, as a rule, the spots are darker than in 

 eggs of our bird. 



This bird is smaller than our Common Sandpiper, but so 

 like it in the general colour and markings of the plumage 

 on the upper surface of the body, that the distinctions only 

 need be noticed. The beak is shorter and paler in colour, 

 both at the point and at the base ; the dark streak on the 

 feathers of the back seems more confined to the transverse 

 direction, and is not so often conspicuous down the line of 

 the shaft of the feather ; the secondaries are tipped with 



