PHOTOGRAPHING NESTS AND EGGS 29 



the nest, adds not only beauty to the photograph, 

 but at the same time shows that the bird nests dur- 

 ing the season when that particular flower is in bloom. 

 In adding flowers to the surroundings, the great dif- 

 ficulty is that they wilt so quickly after being cut ; 

 so it is advisable not to place them in position until 

 everything is ready for the exposure, and even then 

 it is a good plan to wrap a wet cloth round the ends 

 of the stems. So much may be done in the way of 

 giving accentuation to the local colour: a plant of 

 false hellebore introduced will show that the nest is 

 near a stream or in swampy ground, while wild 

 geranium will show that the nest is in a fairly 

 dry situation. The presence of a dragon-fly near a 

 red-winged blackbird's nest will add to the beauty 

 and interest of the picture, for, as a rule, the nests 

 are found in swampy places, where dragon-flies are 

 abundant. It is not always easy to induce these 

 insects to perch just where one wishes to have them, 

 but it is worth while waiting some time in the hope 

 that one will come. I remember waiting five hours 

 before one perched just where I wanted it. 



If the nest to be photographed is in a very low 

 bush within perhaps twelve inches of the ground, 

 the fact may be made apparent by placing a flower, 

 such as a daisy, beneath the bush. The position of 

 the flower will show the approximate height of the 

 nest. These details, though not by any means neces- 



