INSTRUCTIONS IN GENERAL 



the nest of an habitual ground-builder in the branches of a 

 tree on which the bird happens to perch. 



We will assume that the photographer has located one 

 or more nests. It is not by any means every nest or every 

 pair of birds which lends itself readily to photography, and 

 very often it would be a waste of time to attempt it. The 

 observer, then, must decide each case on its merits. It 

 may be that the position of the nest is such as to render it 

 impracticable to set up the camera, especially as we would 

 urge that the nests be not unduly interfered with. There 

 may also be insurmountable difficulties in the way of ensur- 

 ing a sufficiently strong light for a short exposure. By 

 far the most frequent trouble, however, is with the owners 

 of the nest. In the case of the position of the nest, it may 

 be said with a certain amount of truth that "where there 

 is a will there is a way," but if the "sitter" will not sit 

 there is an end of it. 



The trustfulness of any proposed victim may often 

 be roughly judged by parting the branches in front 

 of its home and by placing a hat, focussing cloth or, 

 in fact, anything unusual in the vicinity. The bird's 

 actions will then usually indicate its temperament. 

 As a rule, it is useless to attempt photography at a 

 nest in which the eggs have not yet been laid. It is a 

 trustful bird indeed which can be induced to face the camera 

 without some greater attraction than an empty nest. On 

 the other hand, a great number of birds which present great 

 difficulties at any other time will be more or less easily 

 dealt with when the nest contains eggs heavily incubated, 

 or young ones newly hatched. Care must be taken on such 

 occasions, however, that the subject be not kept too long 

 from the nest; otherwise the eggs or young may be 

 destroyed. 



In setting up the camera, the operator's action will, of 

 course, be guided by circumstances. But there are a few 

 general rules which may be safely followed. In the first 

 place, the camera must be placed in such a position as to 

 keep the source of light nearly directly behind the appara- 

 tus. This precaution obviates the danger of heavy shadows 

 on the print obliterating the detail of portion of the sub- 

 ject. When the source of light is well behind the camera, 

 any shadow thrown by the bird will be on the far side, and 

 will not appear to any extent on the negative. So strongly 



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