BIRDS OF OUR BUSH 



wild, was more easily dealt with than usual on account of 

 the prolonged and kindly action ui certain residents at 

 Upper Ferntree Gully, who provided for this and other 

 Jackasses free meals at the back doors of their residences. 

 It was while feeding these birds, as the residents were wont 

 to do. that we were able to take the photograph. 



■ Out of the doubts previously mentioned peeps a little 

 motto for beginners. "Never descend to taking pictures of 

 subjects which are not entirely natural." Photographs of 

 long-departed stuffed specimens or of birds in captivity are 

 right enough so long as they purport to be nothing more, 

 but to attempt to make such material into a Nature picture 

 is to throw to the winds any claim to praise for other and 

 genuine photographs, as well as to rob one's own mind of 

 the satisfaction resulting from a hard-earned victory. 

 Quite apart from this phase of the question, observers who 

 have had years of experience in the bush will soon pick 

 out points which will convince them that the picture is a 

 fake. You can imagine that such observers will naturally 

 look with suspicion on the whole of such a photographer's 

 work. A little incident will illustrate this. One Sunday 

 afternoon a few years back we visited the home of a cage- 

 bird enthusiast to see her birds. Subsequently we were 

 shown some post-cards and expressed our surprise at seeing 

 amongst them a rare bird-picture which had made one 

 photographer famous. "Oh, yes!" said the lady, "that 

 was my bird, and Mr. took his photo, in that gum- 

 tree by the back door." 



Since that time, photographs from the same source have 

 appealed to us little. No ! If the photographer wishes to 

 maintain a good name he must deserve it, and the smallest 

 circumstance connected with any picture which makes it 

 anything but absolutely natural, should be explained when- 

 ever and wherever the photograph is shown or reproduced. 

 So particular are we in these directions, that we will not 

 even take a photograph of a nest from which the young 

 birds have flown. 



There is another direction in which the photographer 

 must exercise care, and a most extreme and never-failing 

 care at that. The greatest advantage of a Nature photo- 

 graph lies in its power to convey the likeness of the subject 

 without the loss of life or liberty occasioned by other 

 methods. A collection of well-mounted specimens in a 



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