HUNTING BIRDS WITH CAMERA 



By 4.30 I had the plate changed and was in hiding. 

 At 5.05 the hen returned to her eggs. When she was 

 still I was about to pull the thread when a wonderful 

 thing happened. Just in the rear of the sprouts under 

 which she was sitting I caught sight of some large 

 creature, apparently sneaking up to kill her. At first, 

 through the foliage, I took it to be a hog or dog. When 

 it got almost to her, I saw it was a big bird, all bristled 

 up, a turkey gobbler, I thought. Suddenly it made a 

 rush right into the nest. Involuntarily I almost shouted 

 and leaped to my feet to rush out and save the eggs 

 from vandalism, when it suddenly dawned upon me 

 that it was the male bird making love in his own way. 

 The hen was too quick for him. She flushed like a 

 projectile from a gun and was gone, leaving her admirer 

 beside the nest. For fully a minute he stood there, 

 perfectly still, the very picture of pomposity. His tail 

 was erected and spread to its widest extent, as was the 

 glorious black ruff on his neck. The head was raised 

 and the wings drooped. After thus duly surveying 

 the situation he finally strutted proudly off into the 

 bushes. Meanwhile I was undergoing counter-blasts 

 of excitement, delighted with the scene, and chagrined 

 that he was just out of the field and focus for which 

 the camera was set. What a picture that would have 

 been! 



The hen returned to her brooding within five minutes, 

 and I made the exposure. But somewhere in the 

 bushes the old rooster was watching, and again, in 



