160 "THE CONDOR Vol. XX 



On May 18, 1918, we visited the ground covered last year, and after tramp- 

 ing until hot and weary, entered the auto for a rest, slowly running the ma- 

 chine back and forth across the prairie. A bird was finally spotted, sitting 

 bolt upright on its nest, but twenty or thirty yards distant. After watching 

 for a while, Ludwig, my assistant, cautiously approached with the camera to 

 within perhaps thirty feet, when the bird left the nest, which contained, as 

 usual, three eggs. Then followed an unusual demonstration to attract the pho- 

 tographer from the vicinity. Spreading her wings horizontally to their ex- 

 treme width while standing, then falling flat with her neck and wings extend- 

 ed their full length on the ground, at times with beak open (see figure 26), she 

 retreated as he approached, or followed closely as he returned towards the nest. 

 These antics were repeated until finally the camera was set up with one foot 

 of the tripod within a foot or so of the nest, with a view of getting an exposure 

 through the use of a string attachment. 



During the focusing of the camera the bird exhibited great agitation, danc- 



Fig. 28. Mountain Plover approaching her eggs (in left foreground). 



ing and jumping about Ludwig and the nest with wings rapidly opening and 

 closing as if intending a direct attack. She finally settled on the eggs facing 

 the camera. Desiring a picture showing the bird in action, Ludwig would 

 gently swing his foot before her, sometimes touching her bill, when she would 

 jump sidewise, forward or backward, and with bill open and wings snappily 

 opening and closing, attack his foot. So rapid were her motions as she darted 

 in and out of focus that it was difficult to get a perfect picture. (See figure 

 27.) Two of us were lounging on the ground about thirty feet away during 

 this performance. But one bird was present on this occasion ; when the eggs 

 were blown they proved to be about one-half advanced in incubation. 



On May 22, in the same vicinity and under similar conditions, we spotted 

 a bird running about forty feet ahead of the machine. A short search soon 

 located the nest and eggs, and Mr. Figgins, my companion on this trip, spent 

 considerable time in an unsuccessful effort to photograph the bird. She evi- 

 denced no interest or solicitude whatsoever, but continued short runs just out 



