THE OOLOGIST 



81 



Nest and Young of Catbird. By Arthur Farrow. 



in advance and the possibilities and 

 limitations of subject and photographic 

 equipment carefully considered. The 

 different ways in which to do the work 

 can best be learned by experience. 

 Patience, perseverance, and a' careful 

 study of the subject will speedily 

 make anyone a master of the situ- 

 ation, and the obstacles which, when 

 first approached, appear to be insur- 

 mountable, sink into insignificance 

 Vv'hen tackled with a determination to 

 overcome them. 



The photographing of nests and eggs 

 is generally the first thing taken up be- 

 cause this part of the work presents 

 less difficulties than the portraying of 

 living subjects. This branch of thf^ 

 work is not as simple as it might at 

 first sight appear, for it is fraught 

 with pitfalls for the unwary novice, 



and even the most experienced work- 

 ers meet with failures. The nests of 

 those birds which breed upon the 

 ground or close it present the 



easiest mark to the hunter with the 

 camera. Therefore, those nests either 

 upon the ground or wthin a few feet 

 of it should be the first to be experi- 

 mented upon. It is well to remember 

 that the photograph of a nest, to be of 

 value from a' scientific point of view, 

 must show not only the construction 

 of the nest itself but also the tree or 

 shrub in which it happens to be 

 placed; it must also show the manner 

 in which it is fastened to its support 

 and as much of the environments as 

 possible. Care should be taken that 

 the surrounding foliage is distributed 

 as little as possible. 



The next step is usually young bird 



