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photographing nests from a distance of only a few feet, the female in many 
cases returned to her eggs while the photographer's head was under the 
dark cloth during the adjustment of the focus. One was so devoted to 
her eggs that she would run up and peck the writer's fingers and run over 
his hand when extended toward the nest. The female usually leaves the 
nest when an approaching person is still 20 to 25 yards distant, and runs 
towards him either directly or a little to one side. Because of the remark- 
able resemblance of the bird’s plumage at this period to the covering of 
the tundra, the first movements in many cases escape notice and, con- 
sequently, when the bird is first observed fluttering along the ground, the 
natural assumption is that the nest is very close at hand, whereas, in reality, 
it may be 20 or more yards away. The nests are easily found if the obser- 
ver retreats and watches the female through glasses. The birds usually 
return to the nest with little artifice or delay, in fact, often within two or 
three minutes. The described procedure is not invariably practised as 
one female was known to flush directly from the nest and to begin her 
tactics only when there was danger of the nest being actually trodden upon. 
The first juveniles, about a day old, were seen and collected on July 11. 
They were exceedingly active. They were ashy coloured below, buffy 
with black markings, and the down over the lower back and rump was 
tipped with small white spots. This species is much more demonstrative 
and less artful in the concealment of young than Baird’s sandpiper. The 
adults come within a few feet of the intruder and by their actions advertise 
much more clearly the position of the young. The parent birds keep 
up a continual, twittering cry of alarm, the female louder and more pro- 
nounced. The male comes on the scene only at intervals with a mouse-like 
squeaking note. The young “freeze” flat to the ground when the warning 
notes are uttered by the adults. They will lie as though dead until actually 
picked up. When they realize the game is up they wildly struggle to escape 
and if allowed to do so, run rapidly away and either hide again, or attempt 
to reach the mother bird whose frantic cries come from but a few yards 
away. 
A young white-rump about two-thirds grown and almost on the point 
of flight, was captured on August 1. Others seen a few days later were 
capable of short flights. Several times the attempt was made to keep a 
single young bird alive in camp, but each died within about twenty-four 
hours regardless of the best care. 
During the trip, in the latter half of August, 1925, along the southern 
and western coasts of Nettilling lake as far as Koukjuak river, the species 
was only sparingly observed. In early September small companies were 
seen feeding along the low, muddy shores of Koukjuak river, or flying 
south. A flock of twenty were seen flying on September 5, and three were 
seen the following day. These were the last observed in the interior. The 
next and last of the year was a flock of six, seen, on September 25, off 
Aulatsivik point, Pangnirtung fiord. 
In 1926 the species was first seen on July 17 at Aitken lakes, 7 miles 
northwest of cape Dorset. This locality with its numerous lakes and 
ponds and extensive marshy tundra is a much favoured breeding ground. 
Numerous adults and juveniles were seen, the latter almost on the point 
of flight. These were the last noted on the south coast. Notwithstanding 
the proximity of this feeding ground, not one white-rump was observed 
at cape Dorset during the spring migration. 
