232 
NESTS AND EGGS OE 
the enemy is led over considerable sco]De of country, and tlie young are 
safe in jrlaces of concealment. The latter are fed upon insects of various 
kinds which the birds obtain in places they visit. Besides those which 
inhabit water, grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, worms, etc., form a large per- 
centage of their food. Being somewhat crepuscular in habit, not many of 
the insects which affect twilight escape their close scrutiny. 
The young are soon able to take care of themselves, but instead of 
deserting the family-circle when arrived at the age of responsibility in 
bird-life, they continue to frequent the same haunts with their parents, 
and, at the close of summer, descend with them to the seashore (thus con- 
stituting the small flocks which we then observe), or retire with them 
beyond our borders, to try their fortunes in brighter and more prolific 
regions. Whether they attain the adult plumage in the autumn, or in the 
following spring, it is not in our power to say ; but when the birds make 
their appearance during the latter season, it is difficult to distinguish the 
young from their older brethren. By referring to the picture a strong 
similarity will be found to exist between the sexes. The rump and upper 
tail-coverts are of an orange-brown color ; the tail feathers are white at 
base and tip, with a suffusion of orange-brown for a portion of their 
length, and marked with from one to three black bars. The secondary 
wing-feathers are mostly white, while the primaries have simply a white 
space. There is a black band across the forehead, and two broader ones 
on the neck and breast. The bill is black, and the feet pale grayish-blue. 
The length is about ten inches, wing six, and tail three and one-half. 
The eggs are pyriform in shape, somewhat elongated, creamy-buff in 
ground, and marked with numerous speckles, blotches and scratches of a 
dark-brown color, which are larger and more generally distributed around 
the greater end, although abundant over the entire surface. The actual 
measurements of a set before us are as follows: 1.53 by 1.05, 1.50 by 1.06, 
1.45 by 1.04, and 1.43 by 1.09 inches, giving a,n average size of 1.48 by 
1.06 to an egg. The species is single-brooded. 
