BIRDS OF OUR BUSH 



museum is beautiful in a way. To us, however, the realisa- 

 tion that the tiny lives, which bounded within those pitiful 

 balls of feathers, were ended without warning, possibly in 

 the midst of a song of gladness or in a feverish search for 

 the means of sustaining those hungry hopes in a nest near 

 by, saddens the whole display and makes the dead feathers 

 appear more mournful still. There is a sadder phase 

 than that exemplified by a museum display. The great 

 collections of shapeless unmounted skins amongst which 

 many scientific ornithologists grope in an endeavour to out- 

 vie each other in finding differences between birds which, 

 from a common-sense point of view, are identical, appears 

 to us to point to a defect in our laws which needs remedying. 



We urge the beginner, therefore, to realise this advan- 

 tage of photography and to use all means in his power to 

 prevent any loss of life through his agency. The pictures 

 we have been able to produce, we are proud to say, have cost 

 not a single life so far as we know. Let every photographer 

 set himself a similar ideal. To accomplish this end it is 

 often necessary to go to such trouble as to remove the 

 camera for a time in order that young birds may be fed or 

 that eggs may be kept warm. Often, in fact, it means 

 losing altogether the chance of obtaining a much-desired 

 picture. If young birds be caught and tethered as decoys, 

 the photographer should use wool or some other soft 

 material, and be ever on the lookout that the fledglings do 

 not injure themselves. 



In the vastness of our country there is usually little need 

 to ask permission to go where one wishes. In the outer 

 suburbs, however, it often becomes necessary for the photo- 

 grapher to trespass slightly on what is regarded as private 

 property. By far the better plan on such occasions is to 

 ask the owner's permission (which in our experience, will 

 never be refused), or at least to be very careful that no 

 damage is done which may reasonably incite the property- 

 holder's anger. We had a useful little lesson in this direc- 

 tion away back in our early experience. We discovered a 

 family of White-fronted Chats feeding their young in a 

 partly-cut oat crop. In the excitement of capturing the 

 lively young birds both of us ran, at different points, 

 through a narrow strip of crop. The owner quickly 

 arrived. With pardonable anger, and in unpardonable 

 language, he besought us to begone. Ominous brandishing 



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