34 THE CONDOR I Vol. IV

end 5th of a May. Out of ten nests found.this year, I saved only four sets; in several.I had the pleasure of finding the younglings emerging from the shell. It was on June  that I found the nest of the male which had led me the exasperating chase on the morning of May 28. On the later occasion I ap- proached the place from a different di- rection. In a shcrt time the male was fluttering excitedly over my head, and I could not understand his actions; but a deep, wide "coulee" lay between me and the continued line of flight, so I lost no time in crossing the coulee. On the crest of the knoll I found the nest,. situated and made as usual. I easily understood why I had failed to find it on the earlier day, for it lay at least two hundred yards beyond where I had fancied it should be, and across the fence in an adjoining pasture. The pattern of coloration of the eggs was light yellowish green, with bold mark- ings of dark brown. I packed the eggs, and went on my way rejoicing, chuck- ling over my skill in having found the nest which had given me such trouble. But when drilling!the first hole that evening, my ear was saluted by a far- away-sounding "peep," and I realized that he laughs best who laughs last; after all, I had failed, for my collection was no richer than when I had given up the quest in disgust on the earlier morning. It was on the following Sunday after- noon I found my last curlew nest of the season. At about 3:3 I was crossing a large pasture, when a male gave the customary signs that I 'was in the vicin- ity of a nest. Although a threatening cloud was rolling up in the west, and I had on a pair of neee trousers, I ac- cepted the challenge, and followed up the lead with unusual alacrity. At the end of thirty minutes I was enveloped in a drifting shower, and Numenius was gleaning contentedly over across the pasture. Acknowledging mysel beaten, I started for home, but had not gone far when the curlew again began his angry threatenings. Now I was satisfied that a nest was somewhere on that section, anyway, and as the shower had passed, I again set myself to the search; my new trousers were spaile3, so what difference did it make if I kept up the quest? For several hundred yards I hunted in the line apparently indicated by the angry curlew; another shower was scurrying from the moun- tains, and again I gave up the chase, turned my back upon the indicated cen ter of the curlew's demonstrations, and hurried homeward. But the curlew re- newed his feints, and was I going to leave a set of hand'ome eggs lying out upon the prairie when determined search would bring them to light? Not I. I would be late for supper anyhow; I was already wet to the skin, and so nothing was to be gained by hurrying home. Buttoning up my coat to pro- tect my Sunday necktie, and tilting up the rim of my hat to lead the water else- where than down my back, I bent over the trail in grim resolution. It was just about dusk when I climbed throu;,h the wire fence into the next pasture, and there--not twenty feet from the fence, lay the female, waiting for lne almost to lift her from the nest. One downy yellow youngster was crouching help- lessly upon his breast between the halves of his recent home, another had pushed apart the forward end of the shell and was quaintly looking out up- on a new world, while vigorous "peeps" announced that there would be more curlews another year to give zest to the season of '02.