. The Nidiologist. ldee, as itis commonly called, that word express-ing fairl)- well the birds plaintive cry,is to me of all the feathered kind a deceit andan aggravation. Xor is it possible in any wayto shift the blame upon myself. The Killdeerseems to know that he is exasperating, and totake a peculiar delight in it. To fully understand why the Killdeer is anarrant humbug the investigator should startout, as I did,to find itseggs, framedin that apol-ogy for anest on theground. Iremember itwas down inFresno Co.,Cal, that Ivisited oneday a pondwhere in andaround theoverflow theK i lid e e r sw
. The Nidiologist. ldee, as itis commonly called, that word express-ing fairl)- well the birds plaintive cry,is to me of all the feathered kind a deceit andan aggravation. Xor is it possible in any wayto shift the blame upon myself. The Killdeerseems to know that he is exasperating, and totake a peculiar delight in it. To fully understand why the Killdeer is anarrant humbug the investigator should startout, as I did,to find itseggs, framedin that apol-ogy for anest on theground. Iremember itwas down inFresno Co.,Cal, that Ivisited oneday a pondwhere in andaround theoverflow theK i lid e e r swere espe-cially numer-ous. I knewthey musthave nests,and thoughinexperi-enced thenin the birds habits, I determined to find a num-ber of the eggs. It is proper to confess at thestart that I failed ignominiously. Those Kill-deer seemed to have fathomed my evil inten-tions, and pitted against me all their depth ofartfulness. They appeared to be everywhere,a confusing ubiquity, and their wheedling crieswere YOUNG KILLDEER.([holographed from life.) P/rase\ please noivI please, mister, seemed to utter with painful plaintivenessas they ran slowly before me, and then againthat long-drawn agonizing entreaty, Fleaie please! All of a sudden they would fly upwith a series of terrified ejaculations soundingto my ears like, O, mv, he wont ! He wont ! o: or- Hither and thither I was led over theswampy ground, and again and again wastreated to that falsetto concert, but not asemblance of an egg could I see anywhere. But in spite ofmy discom-fiture overhis foolerj, Ibelieve Ihave, afterall, a sneak-ing admira-tion for theKilldeer. More thanmost waterMrds foundinland hepossesses theimportantart of hid-ing on theground. Youstartle onefrom whereit is feeding,near its com-panion bysome swampy pool, and it utters its shrill alarmcry, flies a short distance and then settles again,confident of its security. .d the confidenceyou perceive to be well grounded when thecunni
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