HAUNTS AND HABITS. 
7 
“bay birds” are getting scarcer and scarcer until it is even now 
almost impossible to make a respectable “bag.” One gets 
hardly enough to call it sport. Legislative authority has 
been invoked, but very little wisdom has been exhibited by 
that august body in framing laws to protect these birds. 
Often has a blush mantled our cheeks, as we have been re¬ 
minded of the stupidity of our Legislators in making it a 
crime to kill the least of the shore birds, a peep, while any 
pot-hunter may slaughter blackbreasts, redbreasts, chicken- 
birds, winter yellowlegs and Wilson’s snipe to his heart’s 
content without fear of molestion, all through the spring mi¬ 
grations I 
At this season of the year all of the order are socially in¬ 
clined, as it is their wooing and pairing season, when they are 
often in large flocks, easily decoyed, and then the serried col¬ 
umns are cut down; nay, slaughtered by thousands, ruthlessly, 
by hands whose love of greed has conquered their better 
judgement. It requires no prophet to come and tell us that 
if we destroy the birds in spring time j ust as they are about 
to lay their eggs they will not return with their offspring in 
the fall. Beetle-heads do not go on to the fields or pastures, 
but keep down on the beach or sand flats, where they find an 
abundance of long, depressed worms with many legs upon 
which they feed. They are, as their food would indicate, 
more of a shore than inland bird, though very likely a few 
may wander away as far West as Iowa. The plovers in 
common with the other shore birds belong to the class called 
pracoccs , i. e., run about in search of food as soon as hatched 
and, therefore, require much less attention from their parents 
than do Altrices. The paternal relative reposing great confi¬ 
dence in the energy and skill of his spouse to protect and 
nurse the callow brood, literally deserts his home and fami¬ 
ly, and wanders away back, the wretch, possibly to fall a 
victim to some breech-loader on Cape Cod at the very spot 
where in spring he was observed so attentive to his youthful 
bride on their Northern tour. 
Thewillet or humility ( Symphemia semipalmata, Hart.) 
arrives often paired, toward the end of May. Not abundant. 
