130 BIRDS 



in an uncertain manner, canting from side to side, show- 

 ing rapidly the white beneath and the dark above, a wavy, 

 pretty sight, the white at times fairly glistening in the sun- 

 light." When migrating or going any distance, their flight 

 is steady and direct. 



The sandpiper's nest is placed on the ground in a slight 

 depression, scantily lined with leaves and grasses. The 

 eggs are three or four, of ground color, cream buff to light 

 drab, spotted and blotched irregularly with varjnng shades 

 of brown, thickest about the larger end. 



The black and white outlines which are often seen of 

 this bird make it possible, perhaps, to recognize it, but the 

 perfect likeness which we present will enable the observer 

 to distinguish it at a glance from all others of the family, 

 of which there are about a dozen well-known species. 



THE RED-BACKED SANDPIPER* 



Very early in the spring the Red-backed Sandpiper 

 leaves its winter home in the States and countries bordering 

 the Gulf of Mexico and starts on its long journey to the 

 cooler region of the far North. It arrives in Alaska early 

 in May, in full breeding plumage. The note of the sand- 

 piper is not loud, but has a rich, full tone, difficult to 

 describe, but pleasant to hear. 



The red-backed sandpiper is not a bird architect, and it 

 does not build even a simple home. A slight hollow on a 

 dry knoll, which commands a clear view of some body of 

 water, is the site usually selected. Here the eggs are laid, 

 either upon the dry grass already in the hollow or upon a 



