THIUl) ANMAI. .MKKTING 89 



limestone ledges and Diamonelix beds. Here, under some ledge, be- 

 neath a fallen slab of rock, or in the hole left by the disintegration of 

 a "Devil's Corkscrew," they build their nest. While the female is at- 

 tending to the family matters, the male perches on the highest point 

 available, and entertains her with his never-changing song. 



The first nest was found on June 24, placed at the end of a hole, 

 formed by the rotting* out of a "corkscrew." It was high up on the 

 ridg'e, on the side of a notch, where the trail to Harrison crossed to 

 the valley beyond. The female flushed when I put my hand into the 

 hole, leaving her nest of seven badly incubated eggs. The hole ran 

 horizontally into the bank for a distance of about two feet, and at its 

 end was the nest, a loosely built, fiat structure, composed of dried 

 prairie grass, and lined with fine rootlets. The eggs are dull white, 

 very finely speckled over the entire surface, but more thickly at the 

 larger end, with cinnamon. A second nest with two eggs was found 

 the same day and left until July 5, when a full set of six eggs, slightly 

 incubated, was secured. This nest was situated on a talus slope at the 

 foot of a limestone ledge, under a large flat rock, fallen from above, 

 and slightly raised from the ground by a rock under one end. The 

 nest and eggs were in every way similar to those of the first set. 



BIKD AND NEST PHOTOGKAPHY 



I. S. TROSTLER, OJIAHA 



It is not my purpose to enter into a lengthy discussion of photog- 

 raphy, but merely to give a few general remarks upon that branch 

 of picture-making which is becoming an important aid to us in the 

 study of bird life. The photographer Avho proi^oses to portray birds 

 with the camera is undertaking a very difficult branch of j)hotography. 

 Birds being naturally shy and timid, it is usually a very delicate and 

 difficult matter to get them within range of the camera. This is 

 especially true of old birds and fledglings almost ready to leave the 

 nest. Very j'oung nestlings can usually be photographed with little 

 trouble. Patience is a virtue that all bird photographers ^ould be 

 abundantly supplied Avith. With this and any of the numerous cameras 

 as an equipnaent, one may secure some valuable aids to bird study and 

 instruction. 



A good complete outfit is desirable, though many ver^- fine photographs 

 have been produced with cheap apparatus. It is the operator that 

 makes the pictures, but the quality of the lenses, adjustments, and 

 plates greatly modify his ability to succeed. In my opinion, the ideal 

 outfit for this work is a long-focus camera for 5x7 plates, fitted with 

 a Voigtlander "Collinear" lens in a Bausch & Lomb "Diaphragm" shut- 

 ter, and a "Focal Plane" shutter fitted next to the plate. This gives a 



