BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY BEGINS AT HOME 41 



plished singers. In addition to the insistent, reiter- 

 ated chissick, chissick, which constitutes the song of 

 the male, one soon learns to recognize calls of warn- 

 ing, alarm, flight, battle, and the soft whistle which 

 the bird utters when it approaches its nest the only 

 musical note in its vocabulary. 



Quick to notice the slightest deviation from nor- 

 mal conditions, House Sparrows are difficult birds 



20. House Sparrows and Junco. 



to photograph. They seem to be constantly on the 

 watch for some sign of danger, and an unusual ar- 

 rangement of blind or shade at once arouses their 

 suspicions. After a heavy fall of snow, however, 

 hunger dulls the edge of their fears, and by scatter- 

 ing food near a suitable window the birds may be 

 decoyed within photographing distance. 20 It will be 

 found necessary, even then, to conceal the camera, 



