42 NATURE AND THE CAMERA 



for the work, but should the parent bird show such 

 fear of the camera that she will remain away from 

 her young more than a safe time, remove the camera 

 rather than risk the lives of the fledgelings. It occa- 

 sionally happens that when the nest is first discovered 

 and the bird is sitting she will allow herself to be 

 photographed without displaying fear, or, what would 

 perhaps be more truthful, she remains on the nest 

 either because she believes herself unseen or because 

 she is afraid to move. To take advantage of this, great 

 care must be observed. Not only must no sudden 

 movement or noise be made, but the camera should be 

 assembled at some distance from the nest, yet within 

 sight of it, and then gradually brought nearer and 

 nearer. The first exposure might be made while at 

 some distance, in order to be sure of at least one pho- 

 tograph. This precaution is advisable because one can 

 never tell exactly how near the bird will allow the 

 camera to be placed. Having secured one picture, try 

 another at a few feet nearer, and so on until either you 

 are within the desired distance or the bird has flown. 

 The subject of exposure is one that requires a few 

 words. Almost always people make the mistake of 

 under-exposing, believing that because the bird is alive 

 nothing but an instantaneous exposure can possibly 

 secure a sharp picture. Such an idea is usually a mis- 

 take. As a rule, a bird on her nest remains absolutely 

 still for seconds at a time, thereby allowing of a time 



