176 WITH THE U. S. NATURALISTS 



"Seems to me," remarked the pot-hunter, "that 

 yo're gettin' foolish iii the head over birds. 

 But, so far as that goes, as long as yo' work is 

 done, there ain't no reason why yo' shouldn't play 

 'round with a camera. It won't get yo' in no mis- 

 chief, I reckon. What-all do yo' reckon to begin 

 on!" 



"I thought I'd try with Wood Thrushes, if I 

 could find any," Shan answered. "Baker told me 

 that black-and-white feathers photograph easily 

 and I don 't know enough about photography yet to 

 try to do the hard things. ' ' 



"Have yo' any notion where yo're goin' to find 

 any Wood Thrushes?" 



"I saw a pair down by the big fallen cedar," the 

 boy answered, "and they looked to me as if they 

 were nest-building. That was a week ago, though, 

 and I haven't been able to fibid the nest." 



From time to time Bull was wont to surprise 

 the lad mth his woods lore. 



"Look for 'em among the yaupon bushes," he 

 said, "an' most like, it'll be near a bunch o' 

 straight saplings, somewhere about six feet up. I 

 ain't never seen a Thrush's nest in sprangly 

 growth, nor high up, nor yet close to the ground." 



" I '11 look just there, ' ' replied Shan heartily, and 



