1 6 WILD LIFE AT HOME. 



resembled a huge mushroom. By running innu- 

 merable bits of string through the material, in such 

 a way as to leave two ends hanging outside, we 

 were enabled to tie small wisps of straw to it all 

 over, and thus virtually thatch the whole structure. 

 We then cut off the handle and shaft of the um- 

 brella close up to the top catch, so that they 

 should not come in the way of the camera when 

 inside, but would still leave sufficient stick behind 

 wherewith to open and shut the whole structure. 



Knowing of a lark's nest in a field not far 

 away, we took our new contrivance out early one 

 morning, and, fixing it up ten or a dozen yards 

 away, left it. In the afternoon we moved it close 

 up to the nest, which contained a brood of large 

 young ones, and, putting the camera inside, cut a 

 slit in the holland for the protrusion of the lens, 

 and a small one on each side, commanding the 

 same view as the camera, for purposes of observa- 

 tion. The result which we obtained through its 

 instrumentality is represented on page 74, and, 

 together with the studies of starlings going to feed 

 their young under the thatch of a rick on pages 76 

 and 77, which we obtained by placing our artificial 

 rubbish-heap in an old farmyard tumbril as shown 

 in our illustration on the previous page, demonstrates 

 in the fullest possible manner its utility. 



When in use it is advisable to peg it down, 

 especially if a breeze happens to be blowing, and 

 to see that none of the straws hanging near the 



