THE SPOTTED SANDPIPER = 197 
made at once for the stream, here all of thirty 
yards wide and with a swift current. In he 
plunged and struggled gamely for the other 
side, but his feeble efforts were soon exhausted 
in the swirl and he was swept into a brush heap 
and dragged under. I rescued him and held 
him in my hands until rested and warmed—for 
there was a chill east wind coming in from the 
sea—then finding a sheltered spot in the sun I 
left him alone. Here he stayed contentedly un- 
til, when I had gone to a safe distance, the 
mother bird came back and after scolding him 
well finally led him away through the grass. 
This little chap was brownish gray above, 
with a black stripe from the base of the bill 
over the crown to the nape, there meeting two 
others which came to this point from the eyes. 
Another dark stripe, somewhat larger, came 
down through the middle of the back to the root 
of the tail. Everywhere below grayish white. 
The wings quite long and pointed, drooping as 
if there were no strength in them yet, and all 
made up of blue feather casings. 
At this time the ‘‘yellow-legs’’ of both species 
had begun their journeyings, and even while 
