50 BIRD STUDIES WITH A CAMERA 



so active were the little creatures that not one of 

 many exposures proved to be perfectly focused. 

 Finally I tried decoying the birds to a bone or bit 

 of bread in the bushes, but somehow they did not 



25. Chickadee taking piece of bread. 



succeed in discovering these baits until they were 

 placed on the ground. 84 ' 85 Then they responded so 

 quickly that often the bread had disappeared while 

 my head was concealed by the dark-cloth, and fre- 

 quently, while focusing, the birds would alight on 

 the tripod of the camera. I was forced, there- 

 fore, to focus on a stone, and, when ready to make 

 the exposure, lay a bit of bread on or near the 

 focal point, the two pictures given being thus ob- 

 tained. 



Various experiences with these unusually tame 

 birds finally led to what at first thought would have 

 been considered the wholly unreasonable ambition 

 of photographing one of them in my hand. The 

 camera was therefore erected at a suitable point and 



