FEATHERED FRAUDS. 129 



Although scarcely coming within the province 

 of the present subject, we can scarcely touch upon 

 it without calling passing attention to the many 

 devices birds employ in concealing their nests 

 from enemies. The admirable way in which the 

 Chaffinch tries to deceive us in building its 

 beautiful home, or the cunning manner in which 

 the Wren and the Dipper seek to cheat us in the 

 discovery of their nests, are known to every field- 

 naturalist. But birds themselves practise much 

 fraud in shielding their eggs or helpless offspring 

 from enemies. There are no more cunning 

 feathered frauds than the Sandpipers, and none of 

 these birds more tricky and deceitful than the 

 Common Sandpiper or Summer Snipe. This 

 little bird breeds on the shores of most of our 

 more northern sheets of water, making its nest 

 close to the bank of the pool, usually under the 

 shelter of a heather tuft or tall weed. If the 

 sitting bird is satisfied that you do not see her, 

 she will remain on her nest until you almost tread 

 upon the eggs, then hurriedly springing from her 

 charge, she reels and tumbles along the ground 

 before you, trailing her wings as if they were 

 broken, and trying by every cunning artifice she 

 can command to get you to run after her. 

 You may perchance be inclined to follow the 

 apparently wounded bird, when after going a 

 score paces in this eccentric manner, she will rise 

 with an exultant "weet" of joy, and fly rapidly 

 away ! One more instance may be taken from 



