FRIENDS IN FEATHERS 



Bob improvised his dummy camera from some stakes, an old 

 soap box and a hen's nesting box, the day he found the birds. 

 That night he told me of it, so I was in the orchard early the 

 following morning; by the size of the birds, about the third day 

 after they hatched. They were so tiny I could not risk work on 

 the nest for fear the mother would become frightened and leave 

 the young so long they would chill. Very carefully I took down 

 the temporary tripod and substituted my highest step-ladder. 

 On the workman's platform of this ladder I set the soap box 

 lengthwise, then bound it fast. I placed the nesting box on that 

 and made it secure. Then I went about my business with other 

 nests in the orchard; returning slowly, always when the elders 

 were at the nest, a dozen times that day to climb the step-ladder 

 and go through the motions of taking a picture. At night, before 

 leaving I removed the ladder and boxes as I feared boys playing 

 at the river would see them and find the nest. 



Two more days I kept this up, each time going closer and 

 remaining longer until the old birds went on with the affairs 

 of life, paying not the slightest attention to me. The fourth 

 day I set the camera atop the hen's nest, but it was still too low 

 to bring the Kingbird family in proper focus, so I added my carry- 

 ing case to the top of the erection and set the camera on that. 

 This brought my improvised tripod level with my face, when I 

 stood on the top of the ladder, while the birds were in exactly 

 the place I wanted them. After a brooding, and two feeding 

 exposures, I took down the boxes, moved up the ladder, and 

 covering the nest with my hand began making friends with 

 the tiny pin-feathery babies. Both old birds flew into the tree 

 and came closer than I thought they would, but neither made a 

 sound, nor did the young. That was enough for one day, so I 

 went away, as quietly as possible. 



Each day for nearly a week this went on. Sometimes I 



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