346 WITH NATURE AXD A CAMERA. 



or fourth day after she liacl commenced this slie 

 changed her mind, probably discovering that the 

 twigs would not bear the weight of her new home, 

 and began to work at a fresh one a yard or two 

 away upon stouter branches. In a yery short time 

 she had entirely used up the materials from the 

 forsaken site, and a week after the completion of 

 her last effort it contained four eggs, which Ave 

 discovered by means of our l)it of looking-glass on 

 the end of a rod. 



As we were anxious to make a photograph 

 showing the eggs in the nest, and it was impos- 

 sible to do so without fixing something up to 

 enaljle us to get above it, we borrowed a twent}-- 

 foot ladder from a friendly farmer. It will be seen 

 from the illustration on page 3-1:3 — which is from 

 a photograph kindly taken for us by our friend, 

 Mr. J. H. Powell, of Balham — that the ladder is 

 as nearly ]3erpendicular as may be. This was the 

 only position possible, because the branches to 

 which we lashed it would have snapped like 

 matches through the leverage produced by our 

 combined weight if it had been placed at any 

 angle. When the legs of the tripod had been 

 lashed to the ladder, and the camera focussed, my 

 brother's next difficulty was to get his dark slide 

 in and the plate exposed without interfering with 

 the precise adjustment of the apparatus. In order 

 to accomplish these feats, he was obliged to hold 

 on to one of the rungs of the ladder with his 

 teeth and thus leave his hands free to work with. 



Another difficulty now presented itself. The 

 branches upon which the nest was resting, and the 

 slender twigs around it, would not keep still, aiul, 

 incredible as it may seem, each pulse-beat taking 

 place in our bodies was distinctly indicated by tliem. 



