THE CAMERA. 



28; 



being near to their nest. This was not 

 long as the birds were very trusting and 

 soon hecame quite tame. After setting 

 up my camera I attached a short line to 

 the button on the camera then sat down 

 under a nearby beech tree and awaited 

 results. In about eighteen minutes the 

 female bird returned with a small green 

 worm, eyed her nestling for a few sec- 

 onds then stuffed it down the young 

 bird's throat and was gone. This time 

 to return in ten minutes, and after feed- 

 ing the young bird, watched it closely 

 'till the food disappeared down its throat 

 then hopped into the nest and commenced 

 to brood. Here I left them for the day 



the young ones would hang their heads 

 over the v<\ii;v of the nest and in a few 

 seconds would go fast asleep until the 

 wind jarred the branch which held the 

 nest or some bird would call near to the 

 nest, then up would go all three heads, 

 each straining to its uttermost in hopes 

 of being first fed hut only to be fooled 

 and drop hack into the nest to continue 

 their sleep. 



It was not until now that the male bird 

 who had been continually singing on the 

 previous days in the to]) of his nesting 

 tree, commenced to help his mate in the 

 task of feeding the young who had now 

 grown considerably, they being three 



'Then up would go all three heads each 

 straining to its uttermost." 



Both the Vireos at the nest. 



as they were getting rather nervous at 

 the click of the shutter and my moving 

 back and forth to change the plate-hold- 

 ers. 



( )n the morning of the twenty-second 

 the nest contained another nestling and 

 on the morning of the twenty-third, an- 

 other. 1 took no more photographs on 

 these two days, but on the afternoon of 

 the twenty-fourth 1 snapped a beautiful 

 one of the female as she alighted at the 

 nest to shade the young from the sun. 

 and another as she placed food in the 

 throat of a nestling. 



Between the visits of the parent bird 



days old. commencing to feather out and 

 with ravenous appetites. From this date 

 I took no more photographs until the 

 afternoon of June 2J, when I was lucky 

 in getting a portrait of both birds, the 

 male feeding the young with a large 

 moth, and the female standing on the 

 edge of the nest with a long slender 

 worm waiting for the male to finish. 



When the birds would come to the 

 nest they would always light in the cen- 

 ter of the nesting tree and from there 

 work their way to the nest in a zig zag 

 course. When leaving the nest they 

 would always ho]) to a certain nearby 



