236 Pictures of Bird Life 



too luirrow and too iiiista])le for the tripod, which has to be 

 put o\'erboard into deep water with a soft muddy bottom. 

 At hist, after many striitJ-g-les, and nearly faUing headfirst out 

 of the punt in tlie act of focussing, tlie exposure is made. 

 This first attempt, however, proves conchisively that wading- 

 trousers are an absohite necessity for this marsh work, 

 and my second and otlier visits found me better provided 

 in this respect ; 1 could then accompany the camera over- 

 board into nearly fi^•e feet of water, and if necessary remain 

 hidden up for liours while waiting for the return of the 

 old birds. 



An attempt to photograph the old birds on this occasion 

 was a failure, as was also another more determined one 

 the following year in the south of Spain, where, though 

 I could see a dozen Spoonbills all roimd my hiding-place, 

 tlie intervening reeds made any photograph of them 

 impracticable. 



On a second visit to this same Dutch locality the Spoon- 

 bills had been disturbed by poachers, who had taken a 

 number of their eggs, and in consequence, while the birds 

 which had escaped molestation had lialf-grown young, many 

 others were still sitting on eggs. The curious part of it 

 was that the clutches were umisually large, especially for 

 second layings ; in one nest were six eggs, and in another 

 seven. 



At one of these nests I liid up witli a camera, over waist- 

 deep in water, and covered o\'er with reeds, for five hours. 

 For nearly the whole of this time the Spoonl)ills were 



