46 SOME BIRDS OF THE CANARY ISLANDS 



bird did not move at the sound of the shutter, I think 

 the wind prevented her hearing the click. In this 

 instance she ran up to the camera and looked it over 

 before settling down on the eggs. 



I trust I have not wearied the reader in the above 

 description with too many technical details ; I had not 

 intended to mention them at all, simply letting the illus- 

 trations present themselves naturally, as in the course 

 of a ramble through the country ; but so many people 

 have an idea that these photographs are merely "snap- 

 shots," and that one can go out at any moment and 

 "take " a bird, that it may surprise them to know how 

 much time and trouble is really necessary to obtain good 

 results. 



While I was waiting to take the photograph described 

 in the foregoing, the sun came out with quite desert-like 

 force at times ; generally speaking though, we found a 

 nice breeze on any elevated ground, it was on reaching 

 the village that we learnt what the sun really could be 

 in Fuerteventura. The nights, however, were nearly 

 always cool, and the air was beautifully dry. 



Lorenzo always took great care of my cameras, but 

 as we were going home on the evening of the day 

 on which I had photographed the Courser, he quite 

 exceeded himself in this respect, wrapping up my long- 

 focus camera in his blanket as though it contained the 

 bird itself. He always insisted on carrying his blanket, 

 even on the hottest day ; none of the peasants in Fuer- 

 teventura carried theirs, but then Fuerteventura was 

 very much behind the times, and I am afraid Lorenzo 

 had not much opinion of the place, in which he was 

 right from his own point of view. I asked him once 



