THE SPOTTED SANDPIPER 197 



made at once for the stream, here all of thirty 

 vards wide and with a swift current. In he 

 plr.nged and struggled gamely for the other 

 side, but his feeble efforts were soon exhausted 

 in the swirl and he was swept into a brush heap 

 and dragged under. I rescued him and held 

 him in my hands until rested and warmed — for 

 there was a chill east wind coming in from the 

 sea — then finding a sheltered spot in the sun I 

 left him alone. Here he stayed contentedly un- 

 til, when I had gone to a safe distance, the 

 mother bird came back and after scolding him 

 well finally led him away through the grass. 



This little chap was brownish gray above, 

 with a black stripe from the base of the bill 

 over the crown to the nape, there meeting two 

 others which came to this point from the eyes. 

 Another dark stripe, somewhat larger, came 

 down through the middle of the back to the root 

 of the tail. Everywhere below grayish white. 

 The wings quite long and pointed, drooping as 

 if there were no strength in them yet, and all 

 made up of blue feather casings. 



At this time the ' ' yellow-legs ' ' of both species 

 had begun their journeyings, and even while 



