34 SPOTTED SANDPIPER. 
other kinds, nor become gregarious, living always in families till the time 
of their departure, which usually occurs about the middle of October.” 
My esteemed friend THomas Maccu.tocu of Pictou, Nova Scotia, 
having transmitted to me a curious account of the attachment of one 
of these birds to her eggs, I here insert it with pleasure. ‘ Being 
on an excursion to the Hardwood Heights, which rise to the west of 
Pictou, my attention was attracted by the warble of a little bird, which 
appeared to me entirely new, and which proceeded from a small thicket 
a short way off. Whilst crossing an intervening meadow, I acciden- 
tally raised a Spotted Sandpiper from its nest, and having marked the 
spot I hastened forwards ; but the shyness of the object of my pursuit 
rendered all my efforts unavailing, and returning to the nest which I 
had just left, I expected to find it still unoccupied; but the Sandpiper 
had again resumed her place, and left it with great reluctance, on my 
near approach. The nest contained four eggs, which I determined to 
remove on my return at night, and for the purpose of preventing the 
bird sitting again upon them, I placed a number of stones in a slant- 
ing position over the nest, and so close that it was impossible for the 
bird to get into it. On my return in the evening, however, I observed 
the little creature rise from beside the stones apparently in greater 
trepidation than ever, and more anxious to draw me away by the exhi- 
bition of all those little arts which they practise for this purpose. On 
examining the spot I was very much surprised to find that the poor 
thing had not only hollowed out a new nest, but had actually succeed- 
ed in abstracting two eggs from the other nest. How the bird had 
contrived to remove the eggs I cannot conceive, as the stones remained 
unaltered. This attachment to its nest and eggs appeared to me more 
singular as the bird had just commenced incubation, the eggs exhibit- 
ing very little appearance of the young.” 
In addition to the observations of THomas Nurta.t, I must in- 
form you that this species is often observed to alight on the branches 
of trees hanging over water-courses, on which they walk deliberately, 
and with their usual delicate elegance of gait, and balancing of both 
body and tail. ‘They are also wont to alight more frequently on the rails 
and stakes of fences, or on walls. I have seen them on the tops 
of hay-stacks, where they seemed to be engaged in pursuing insects. 
On several occasions I have found their nests in orchards of both © 
peach and apple trees, at a considerable distance from water, the 
