288 Bird - Lore 



fectly and occupy a much smaller space than by any other arrangement. It is 

 undoubtedly a provision made by nature so that the large eggs may be covered 

 well during incubation by such a relatively small parent. 



Several pictures of the nest were taken, and a box supported by a few sticks 

 was put up nearby, to be replaced later by the camera, after the bird had 

 become accustomed to the presence of the box. After a few days the camera 

 was put up and several good pictures were taken of the female incubating and 

 settling on the eggs. 



SPOTTED SANDPIPER SETTLING QN HER EGGS 



I wanted to see how she would respond to changed conditions, so I placed 

 my cap over the nest and awaited developments. She soon came quietly along 

 through the grass up to where her eggs were covered, walked around and 

 around the cap and also over it, not seeming to understand what had happened 

 to the nest. No attempt was made to remove or creep under the cap. The 

 nest was then covered with a large leaf. She soon returned, and to my sur- 

 prise, sat down exactly in the middle of it. But the leaf did not feel just right 

 to her, so she began turning herself around and around in the nest. After 

 turning a dozen or more times, she seemed satisfied with the new order of 

 things and sat quietly. I next removed the leaf and repeated the experiment 



