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while wandering across the swamp. These, however, were all 

 feeding birds, and we were unable to find a nest. At the edge 

 of the swamp, on a low spruce-grown ridge, we found a pair 

 of Rusty Blackbirds, which apparently had a family of young 

 near by. 



As we walked back to the house, we passed through a low 

 meadow of short grass, and here we found our first Least Sand- 

 piper. The bird flushed from directly beneath our feet, and 

 fluttered off through the grass as if it had a broken wing. On 

 standing perfectly still, we soon discovered, two or three feet 

 before us, the nest from which the bird had flushed. It con- 

 tained four eggs. The finding of this nest and eggs made us 

 very enthusiastic, for it is one which not many naturahsts 

 have seen. I walked all the way back to the house, got my 

 camera, and, in spite of the lateness of the day, took several long 

 time exposures of the nest. 



On the following day, June 16, we spent the morning hunting 

 over the headland across from Grosse Isle, which was covered 

 with a heavy growth of spruce timber. We looked here for 

 Kedpolls, and saw one splendid male bird, but found no nests. 

 We also flushed a Fox Sparrow, which appeared concerned over 

 our presence. The cause of its concern proved to be a fine 

 young bird almost able to fly, which we caught and photo- 

 graphed after half an hour's scramble through the brush. 



At the bottom of this hill, in a low, grassy open place, or 

 meadow, we found our second nest of the Least Sandpiper, the 

 bird flushing from beneath our feet, as the first one had done, 

 and revealing the nest of four eggs. This nest, like the first one, 

 was simply a slight hollow formed in the side of a little tussock 

 of grass and lined with a few straws. The bird was considerably 

 excited and ran about close to us. An inspection of the eggs 

 soon gave us the reason, for one of them was already ^^ pipped" 

 at the end. I went back a mile or so for my camera and set it 

 up near the nest. The Sandpiper came back to the eggs almost 

 immediately, although I was standing only four feet away. I 

 secured one picture of her as she approached the eggs, and 

 reversing the plate-holder, took a time exposure of her as she 

 settled down to resume her nesting duties. 



