Photographing the Virginia Rail 



287 



until the morning of June 22, over sixty hours after the first pip marks appeared, 

 did the young hatch. My friend made the discovery in the morning, and 

 reported that four of the young had shpped out of the nest at his approach. 

 That afternoon I appeared on the scene with my camera. As before, all but 

 three of the young ones scrambled into the grass and disappeared before I 

 could intercept them. The remaining three I gathered up and photographed 

 while they lay in my friend's hand. 



They were bright little mites, mere bunches of iridescent black down, 

 from which the tiny white bill, with its dark band, projected inquisitively 

 between the beady eyes. Although they were very lively, they seemed tO' 

 object to the light and huddled together, hiding their heads. Having made 

 my pictures, I returned them to the nest and left them to the care of their 

 mother. Poor little things! In nine days the protection of the law would be 

 removed. I shuddered as I thought of their chances of escaping dog and gun. 



A few days later I visited the swamp again. The nest was empty, and a 

 few feet from the ditch lay the dead body of one of the parent birds. What 

 had become of the young ones I could only guess. 



But the next day my fears were confirmed. As I drove past the swamp, 

 the glowing eyes of a crouching cat peered at me through the marsh-grasses. 

 Surely there are some cases when the ornithologist is justified in the use of a 

 gun! 



WINDOW FEEDIXG-STAND USED BY THE DANISH SOCIETY 'SVALEN' 



