PHOTOGRAPHING BIRDS 35 



to the use of the Imp flash-gun and secured good fully 

 timed negatives. This is a very ingenious little affair 

 arranged so that the cable release may be attached in 

 such a manner that when the flash takes place the shutter 

 is sprung. I have repeatedly used this method to obtain 

 pictures in dark ravines and at night. By a simple at- 

 tachment of my own application the gun may be sprung 

 by the bird. This consists of a five-cent mouse-trap at- 

 tached to one leg of the tripod ; from the trap spring that 

 catches the mouse is a string that is fastened to a lever 

 on the gun, that throws the exploding hammer. This 

 requires more pressure to release than the bird would 

 make, so to overcome that, a string is fastened to the deli- 

 cate little trigger to which, when mouse-baiting, the 

 cheese is fastened. This string is passed to a point over 

 the nest or across the entrance hole and the least pressure 

 from the bird's body or feet throws the mouse-trap 

 spring, which in turn jerks the gun lever that explodes 

 the magnesium powder. At the same time a plunger 

 presses on the wire release to the shutter and the picture 

 is made at 1/100 of a second. All this is done so quickly 

 that the bird's actions do not blur the picture. The con- 

 trivance is much simpler and easier to work than to ex- 

 plain. The pictures of the Wood Thrush, the Flicker and 

 the Kingfisher in this book were made by this magnesium 

 flash method. 



A photograph of a living bird is a picture true to 

 life, and no artist can duplicate it with pen or brush. 

 The artistic work of some of our bird artists is truly mar- 

 velous; the poses, however, are imaginary and rather 

 fixed in types, like museum specimens. Many of the pic- 

 tures in this book are of young birds and portray phases 

 of bird life as truly as do the pictures of fully grown 

 birds : for example, the early plumage of the young, their 

 positions in perching and their hiding positions are 

 clearly shown. Many of the young birds pictured are 

 practically full-grown birds that had broken home ties 

 before I discovered them and made their pictures in 

 exactly the locality in which I found them. Careful 

 handling of a full-grown young bird inspires confidence 

 and dispels fear. It will remain in the position in which 

 you place it, and various beautiful natural poses can thus 

 be obtained. No rough handling or undue restraint must 



