The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1901-09-25

uSnermen VINO put out uhlly 1rOm
the port In their picturesque
craft, TO sail northward along the
peaceful waterways OF the channel
kelp, had said that the pipers reared
their young on the swinging submits
of the wonderful sea hedges that
fringe the coast below Point Concep-
cion, and that the tiny birds spent the
first weeks of their lives upon these
fragile marine meadows above the
heaving Pacific. But townsfolk, and
among them naturalists, insisted that
the birds nestcd inland along the sandy
shadows of the creeks that wandered
down from the encircling mountains
to the sea.
No one had ever seen q sandpiper's
nest, and the small birds, brownish-
black with the deep rusty-red disks on
side and back. swirling in flocks Of
hundreds over the blue waters OF the
channel. never revealed the secret of
their birth. One of the Western uni
versities once sent young man. stu
dent named Coville. TO inquire into
the sandpipers' habits. and not until
then did the people Of Santa Barbara
discover that the tiny fellow and his
habitat were of the least interest to
the world.
The young student-naturalist deter
mined TO explore the kelp beds. From
the mountains and high places along
the coast one can see the sea hedges,
stretching like ribbons of amber satin
along the blue water. with the tumult
OF the open sea beating on their outer
sides, and on the inner side the mir
rored shoals where dwell the sand
pipers and other fowl.
The channel kelp is strong bulwark
that breaks the waves and tides from
the inner water, woven wall of ca
ble-like vines and plants. braided with
sea grasses, weeds and parasitic algae.
through which the coast steamers,
when they wish to land, must keep n
path cut to the wharves. Sometimes
the great storms tear away many acres
of the kelp and hurl 1t ashore In i'm
mense masses, with heavy stones and
boulders still grasped by the roots of
the anchorage Of the marine meadows.
.Coville went in quest of the sand
pipers' homes below Point Conception,
where, with young man living near,
he made daily trips TO the sea hedges.
They were out one afternoon as
usual, in Edward Potter's boat, and
had pushed far up a narrow channel
into the kelp. The naturalist was
watching on both sides, while his COM
panion slowly rowed through the lu-
cent water. 1t was after the high
spring tides, when the crab fishermen
raid the pipers nest; the shore waters
were smooth as glass under the sun
shine. 1t was such delightfully."- lazy
work that the two young men had long
hours of waiting in which to become
warm friends, and they were both in
terested in all the swarming, wonder
full sea life about and below them.
But of the sandpipers' nests, nothing.
The small birds circled about them
with exasperating familiarity, perched
on the water plants within oar length
with cries of "Weet! weetw and We're
the most conspicuous tenants of the
sea fields, but they bafIled all attempts
to discover their housemaking and
their young.
To-day the men went far from their
usual haunts into the kelp, pushing
the boat by main strength through
sinuous openings and over masses of
floating weed until, at 8 o'clock, they
were thoroughly tired.
They rested in the bottom of the
boat and ate their lunch. Potter had q
shotgun, and was waiting for shot
ut one Of the hawks that circled above
and darted at times at the swift pipers
on the kelp. Coville scanned the un
dulating vegetation with his glass
seeking the sandpipers' haunts.
Then he gave an exclamation: "I'vC
found them! There are young pipers
on the weeds toward the sea! I've
been watching them long time; there
ought to be nests IL there are young
I'm sure there are young ones! Cam
you see them?"
Potter laughed ut the naturalist's en-
thusiasm, but he pulled in among tho
weeds, and when the rowing becam,
hard they both worked with oar ant
pole until the craft was wedged in tn,
fbrous vines of heavier vegetation
than any they had yet encountered
1t was on this that Coville discovered
his pipers. He was right; there wer,
very small, dark gray nestlings sour
rying about the undulating sea floor.
Coville was demonstrative In hi
Joy. He clambered from the boat an,
tried to walk on the mass of seaweeds
but broke through at times to hi
waist. and wherever he stood tn
plants slowly settled beneath him,
"Work the boat over here, Ede' h
shouted. 1--WE found them! Nests
real nests of woven sea grasses, tn
prettiest things you ever saw, swing
ing In the weeds! No wonder W
have never been able to see them bt
fore; they're too smallr
The baby sandpipers ran hither an
thither over their fragile meadows
hundreds of them. feeding ON tn