THE OOLOGIST 



260 



Arizona Jays 



-Photo by Earl R. Forrest 



ordinarj- tripod, and so we obtained 

 two large boxes at the store, which we 

 fastened securely together. These we 

 placed about five feet from the foun- 

 tain, putting some roclvs in the bot- 

 tom for ballast. We made some holes 

 in the top, and at the proper angle 

 and distance, in which we placed pegs 

 to hold a camera in position. 



We focussed the machine on the 

 front part of the mountain, tied a 

 long string to the finger release so 

 that we could operate it from the 

 house, and waited for the arrival of 

 the birds. However, not one would 

 venture near the place. The strange 

 looking affair so close was too much 

 for them. Patiently we waited for 

 two days without any success, and 

 then we moved the camera. After 

 this it was only a day or two until 

 the birds commenced to return, and 

 they w^ere soon there in as great num- 



bers as ever. After they seemed to 

 have lost their fear for the boxes we 

 placed a focussing cloth on top which 

 they seemed a little shy of for about 

 half a day, but they soon became used 

 to this too. However, we did not try 

 the camera again for about a week, 

 and to our surprise the birds did not 

 fear it nearly as much as we had ex- 

 pected, the finches paying very little 

 attention to it at all. 



Soon we were running a regular 

 bird photograph gallery, and we se- 

 cured a number of choice negatives. 

 Our little friends became very tame, 

 but they never got over their fear of 

 the noisy shutter. When the string 

 was I'ulled the spring would make a 

 sharp click and like a flash every bird 

 would fly away; but they did not go 

 tar, for in a few minutes they would 

 return. 

 ,Our greatest trouble was with the 



