78 



KEARTONS' NATURE PICTURES 



marked with umber brown spots and 

 blotches. On rare occasions the mark- 



SANDPIl'KR'S NKST. 



ings form a ring round the larger 

 end. 



As Selby truly says : " If disturbed 

 during the period of incubation, the 

 female quits the nest as quietly as 



possible, and usually flies to a distance, 

 making at this time no outcry ; as soon, 

 however, as the young are hatched, 

 her manners completely alter, and the 

 greatest agitation is manifested on the 

 apprehension of danger, and every 

 stratagem is tried, such as feigning lame- 

 ness and inability of flight, to divert the 

 attention of the intruder from the un- 

 fledged brood." 



Young Sandpipers commence to run 

 about almost directly after they leave 

 the shell, and if any form of danger 

 should suddenly appear upon the scene, 

 at the first cry of warning from either 

 of their parents, they instantly crouch 

 flat upon the ground and remain abso- 

 lutely still until the " all is well " note 

 has again been sounded. 



The protective coloration of the down 

 on a young Sandpiper's back is strikingly 

 manifested when the chick is seen 

 crouching on the sandy margin of a 

 river. 



