130 A “VISIT TO" POCHARDWSLAND— 
perhaps, too, the eggs were nearly hatched. 
She allowed me to fix up the camera and 
focus; this I did very quietly, fearing each 
moment that she would get up. I certainly 
thought the focussing cloth would scare her, 
but it did not, nor did she move a feather 
whilst I gave two exposures of as much as 
three and five minutes, the lens at //32, with 
a fast plate. I am sorry to say thagaie 
result is not worth reproducing, and it illus- 
trates again the general futility of taking 
such pictures, owing to the lack of contrast. 
When I had taken the photo we approached 
the nest, and she then left it deliberately with 
a great clatter of her strong wings. We 
found the usual two pure white eggs. Just 
two feet above her nest was an old black- 
bird’s. Whilst I was exposing we kept as 
still as mice, and were treated to the beauti- 
ful song of a sedge-warbler. He came right 
over our heads on the bush tops, as is his 
manner, and only a few feet away. His 
knowledge that something unusual was near 
made him warble all the more ; this is another 
