The Killdeer 
91 
should then be made to ascertain the time that elapses before the young 
birds are hatched. By simply walking past the eggs, without stopping, 
the desired information may be had. After the young birds are hatched 
it will be extremely difficult to find them, by reason of their habit of 
squatting and remaining perfectly still, and also because they simulate 
their surroundings so perfectly. The student, by such field-studies, may 
accumulate many interesting and valuable notes, and, if care is taken, 
without in the least harming either the old or the young birds. 
The extreme watchfulness of the Killdeer at other seasons is por- 
trayed by Audubon in one of his delightful descriptions of his own 
wanderings : 
“Reader, suppose yourself wandering over some extensive prairie, 
far beyond the western shores of the Mississippi. While your wearied 
limbs and drooping spirits remind you of the necessity of repose and 
food, you see the moon’s silver rays glittering on the dews that have 
already clothed the tall grass around you. Your footsteps, be they ever 
so light, strike the ear of the watchful Killdeer, who, with a velocity 
scarcely surpassed by that of any other bird, comes up, and is now pass- 
ing and repassing swiftly around you. His clear notes indicate his 
alarm, and seem to demand why you are there. To see him now is im- 
possible, for a cloud has shrouded the moon ; but on your left and right, 
before and behind, his continued vociferations intimate how glad he 
would be to see you depart from his beloved hunting-grounds.” 
Having become acquainted with the Killdeer and its homelife, let us 
for a moment consider the relations of this bird to mankind. Unfortunately 
it belongs to the class known as game-birds, but it is only so in name, 
for owing to the small size of its body it is worthless for food. The ap- 
pearance of the bird while in flight is very deceptive, its long wings 
making it appear much larger than it really is. Its home is on the ground 
and all of its food is obtained there, and consists very largely of insects 
