22 



THE ooi/k;ist. 



Photo by B. S. Bowdish. 

 NEST AND EGGS OF GREEN HERON. 



may plunge unexpectedly into mud 

 and water over boot-tops, aad all un- 

 der the broiling rays of a sun which 

 beats down into the oven-like, breeze- 

 less swamp. 



Fortunately I did not have very far 

 to go before I came upon the object of 

 my search. The nest was built in the 

 main forks of one of a small clump of 

 maple saplings, about twelve feet up. 

 It was a platform of twigs, somewhat 

 more substantially built, and better 

 hollowed than the average nest of this 

 species, and measured about twelve 

 inches across by three inches in depth. 

 From below through crevices of the 

 platform gleams of pale blue betrayed 

 the presence of eggs. About three 

 feet from the sapling that held the 

 nest grew another. Having photo- 



graphed the site I was soon squirming 

 up this latter sapling, pushing the 

 camera on the tripod ahead of me, and 

 with the haversack of plate-holders 

 swung over my shoulder. 



It reads easil}^ enough to say that I 

 suspended myself opposite the nest, 

 with my legs wrapped about the stem 

 of the tree, and the legs of the tripod 

 gripped between my knees, while I un- 

 packed plate-holders, focussed, and 

 made four exposures. However if an 

 appreciation of the difficulties of reach- 

 ing the site required experience, then 

 much more is experience necessary to 

 the understanding of what photogra- 

 phy under this class of difficulties im- 

 plies. The work was accomplished, 

 however, and subsequent development 



