NEW QUARTERS 45 



I was glad to see that she took no notice whatever of 

 the camera, but worked her way up to the eggs and 

 then sat down. It is always well to leave a bird alone 

 for some little time and not to take the photograph at 

 once, because it will almost invariably shift its position 

 once or twice before settling down. 



I was just tightening up the string preparatory to 

 giving the final pull and securing perhaps one of the 

 most interesting of ornithological representations, when 

 three ravens, flying very low, came right over the bird, 

 one of them making a feint at the camera, its sharp 

 eyes evidently detecting something that the Courser 

 had failed to notice. This had the effect of making my 

 bird leave the eggs and stand still a few yards from 

 them, while the ravens continued their flight. They 

 seemingly did not notice the Courser's eggs, though 

 they must have seen that she was sitting. She soon 

 resumed her place, and then, seeing by the aid of 

 my glasses that she had apparently settled down and 

 was in a favourable position for being taken, I pulled 

 the string. 



The bird sprang into the air with a loud squawk, 

 very different from the low note that it occasionally 

 utters when flying, then settled a few feet away and 

 began, metaphorically speaking, to "rub its eyes" and 

 wonder if it had been dreaming. Apparently it thought 

 it had, for, running a few steps it again went on to the 

 eggs. I had to disturb the bird in order to change the 

 dark slide, as I wished to take another photograph of it, 

 and the afternoon was beginning to close in, so I went 

 up to the camera and made the necessary alteration. 



I obtained one more photograph, but this time the 



