48 NATURE AND THE CAMERA 



such as the blue-winged warbler, the wood-thrush, 

 the chickadee, and others, display very little fear 

 of either the camera or the man when their young 

 need attention, so for this reason they are the most 

 suitable subjects to practise on. If the birds happen 

 to be tame enough, it is an excellent plan to use a 

 white reflecting-cloth, throwing the light upward 

 from it in order that the otherwise dark shadows 

 shall be softened. A background cloth may also be 

 used with advantage, provided it does not frighten 

 the bird. This cloth should be white or gray, and 

 of sufficient size to allow of its being placed not less 

 than six or eight feet back of the nest, the farther 

 the better, as the distance gives a soft effect in the 

 photographs, making the bird and nest stand out fairly 

 well defined against the indistinct grayish background. 

 Any shadows thrown on the cloth are rather an 

 advantage than otherwise, unless the cloth is near the 

 nest, in which case they appear too well defined. In 

 cases where the birds are very shy it is necessary to 

 resort to some method of concealment for the camera 

 and one's self. Perhaps the best device is an artificial 

 tree-trunk, made of very light material such as mus- 

 lin or even cheese-cloth. This is stretched over large 

 hoops, which may be made of cane or strong wire, 

 the former by preference, as it is more easily attached. 

 Three uprights should be made of strong, stiff cane 

 jointed in the middle with ferrules such as those used 



