306 SPOTTED SANDPIPER, OR TATLER. 



for their brood. The cry, of course, is most frequent toward evening, when 

 the little family, separated by the necessity of scattering themselves over 

 the ground in quest of food, are again desirous of reassembling to roost. 

 The young, as soon as hatched, run about the grass, and utter from the first 

 a weak plaintive peep, at length more frequent and audible; and an imitation 

 of the whistle of peet weet, is almost sure to meet with an answer from the 

 sympathizing broods, which now throng our marshes. When the note 

 appears to be answered, the parents hurry, and repeat their call with great 

 quickness. Young and old, previous to their departure, frequent the sea- 

 shores, like most of the species, but never associate with 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 Maccttlloch 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 accidentally 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 slanting 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 exhibition 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 succeeded in abstracting two eggs from the other nest. How the 

 bird had contrived to remove the eggs I cannot conceive, as the stones re- 

 mained unaltered. This attachment to its nest and eggs appeared to me 

 more singular as the bird had just commenced incubation, the eggs exhibiting 

 very little appearance of the young." 



In addition to the observations of Thomas Nuttall, I must inform 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 



