Familiar Studies of Wild Birds 



tience should be profitably employed in study- 

 ing the characteristics of the species, for with- 

 out knowing the birds, one can not hope to 

 have his pictures tell accurately a part of their 

 life history. Lying concealed in the tall grass 

 about thirty feet distant, the writer was able to 

 make many interesting observations, the cam- 

 era eventually verifying many of them in an 

 invaluable way. 



It was several days before really satisfac- 

 tory pictures of this kingbird family were ob- 

 tained, but gradually the birds became accus- 

 tomed to the camera, until the writer was able 

 (by means of a thread) to snap as many pic- 

 tures as he desired. Yet the birds continued 

 to regard the camera with distrust, and never 

 failed to greet the appearance of the visitor 

 with clamorous demonstrations suggestive of 

 anything but welcome. 



68 



