26 WILD NATURE'S WAYS. 



left, and upon becoming convinced that it was 

 impossible to effect an entrance she appeared to 

 be overtaken by a fit of angry despair, and 

 dashed wildly into the limpid waters of the 

 stream from different stones upon which she 

 alighted. After a while, a much wiser course of 

 action suggested itself, and, poising like a humming- 

 bird on rapidly beating wings in front of the nest, 

 she seized a hanging corner of my square of 

 selvyt and ga^'e it a \'igorous tug. It yielded 

 encouragingly, and she repeated her tactics until 

 the offending material was completely withdrawn 

 and floated serenely down the rippling brook 

 below, when the happy, conquering mother- bird 

 promptly joined her family, and, as a reward for 

 affection and intelligence, was left in peace for 

 the remainck'r of the day. 



In spite of the extreme difficulty of making 

 even rapid exposures upon these eternally curt- 

 seying creatures, I managed by a very liberal 

 expenditure of fast plates, to secure a good 

 series of pictures. A strange thing about the 

 male was that he manifested a decided predilection 

 for looking in my direction over his shoulder, 

 instead of, as desired, with his beautiful snowy 

 white breast towards me. I could liavc photo- 

 graphed him a hundred times in the former 

 position for once in the latter. 



Having been told by a farmer of a common 



