United States or Malta ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !
And a superb testing-ground it was, for the swampy spots and mud flats were alive with wild-fowl of all kinds, from the lively sandpiper to the great Canada grey goose, while the air was vocal with their whistling wings and trumpet cries, so that, whether they walked among the shrubs and sedges, or sat in ambush on the rocky points, ample opportunity was afforded to test the weapons as well as the skill of the owners.
Other shorebirds that eat leaf-beetles are the Wilson phalarope and dowitcher. Crayfishes, which are a pest in rice and corn fields in the South and which injure levees, are favorite food of the black-necked stilt, and several other shorebirds feed upon them, notably the jacksnipe, robin snipe, spotted sandpiper, upland plover, and killdeer.
At the end of Bewick's description of the Green Sandpiper there is a very exact representation of a covert feather of the tail, and an inner-wing covert, which will give a better idea of their appearance than a page of letterpress.
Greater yellow-leg is much scarcer than formerly, also Bartramian sandpiper. The only two birds which show an increase in the past few years are the robin and lesser scaup. General protection of the robin has caused its increase; stopping of spring shooting in the North has probably caused the increase of the latter.
It was quite a trouble at first, for Mamma Sandpiper had always helped them to bugs and worms, one apiece, turn about, so all was fair. But now Pipsy always wanted the best of everything, and Nipsy, being good tempered, had to eat what his brother left.
The blue jay and the crow know too much to be caught in such a place, although one may often enough see the latter passing overhead. Every now and then, in the traveling season, a stray sandpiper or two will be observed teetering round the edge of the Common and Garden ponds; and one day, when the latter was drained, I saw quite a flock of some one of the smaller species feeding over its bottom.
The junco or snow-bird builds its nest on the floor of the Valley among the ferns; several species of sparrow are common and the beautiful lazuli bunting, a common bird in the underbrush, flitting about among the azalea and ceanothus bushes and enlivening the groves with his brilliant color; and on gravelly bars the spotted sandpiper is sometimes seen.
"No one could ever mistake him for anybody else," thought Peter, "For there isn't anybody else with such beautiful shoulder patches." "What's the news, Peter Rabbit?" cried Redwing, coming over to sit very near Peter. "There isn't much," replied Peter, "excepting that Teeter the Sandpiper has four eggs just a little way from here." Redwing chuckled. "That is no news, Peter," said he.
Here you shall come upon the cat-bird at her morning bath, and hear her sing, in a clump of pussy-willows, that low, tender, confidential song which she keeps for the hours of domestic intimacy. The spotted sandpiper will run along the stones before you, crying, "wet-feet, wet-feet!" and bowing and teetering in the friendliest manner, as if to show you the way to the best pools.
Skirl, a shrill sound, especially that characteristic of the bagpipes. Slippit awa', slipped away, died. Sync, afterward, since. Tarn, a small mountain lake. Tatties, potatoes. Tid, a pet name for a child. Tirley-wirley, a disturbance. Wasna, was not. Wee bit hoosie, little house. Whaup, the curlew, a large bird of the Sandpiper Family. Wifie, an endearing term for a woman.
Word Of The Day