RAKE PICTURES AFIELD 169 



struggling through the shell, which explained her 

 conduct. I had approached her at the psycho- 

 logical moment ^hen the brooding fever bound her 

 in its strongest hold. Hastily gathering up my 

 camera and other paraphernalia, I hurriedly slip- 

 ped away, but remained where I could see the nest, 

 to which she returned almost at once, so no real 

 damage was done. 



One picture that I especially prize in my field 

 work is that of a king rail turning and tucking an 

 egg from sight among the feathers of her breast. 

 In order to secure studies of this bird, it was nec- 

 essary to don waist- waders and enter a swamp, 

 where I stood much above knee-deep in muck and 

 water while I established sufficient intimacy with 

 her to allow me to open the grass of her nest 

 wide enough for an exposure from beak to tail. 

 I have several pictures of her in which she appears 

 to be very placidly brooding without the least 

 fear; but the first time I approached her to open 

 her nest, with her long sharp beak she peppered 

 my bare arms, where I had rolled my sleeves to 

 my elbows to keep them dry while cutting grass 

 under water, until she broke the skin to bleeding in 

 more than a dozen places on each arm. 



I highly prize the picture of a barn owl with her 

 back toward the camera, and her head turned over 

 her shoulder looking toward the lens, as she en- 

 tered her nest. 



Another prime favourite of mine is a study of a 



