PROFESSIONAL FLY-CATCHING 



their own business, but she had no use for inquisitive 

 persons. 



The top of the post, I found, had become rotted out 

 in the center, forming a nice little cup. In this the 

 birds had built a very frail nest, nothing like the bulky 

 one they usually make, and the female had laid the 

 three usual handsomely blotched eggs. Besides being 

 so close to vehicles passing on the road, on the other 

 side the railway trains whizzed by within a yard of her, 

 and altogether it was a most remarkable situation for 

 birds which usually prefer an orchard. Right across 

 the road was an apple orchard, just the place for them, 

 one would think, but the queer selection they made 

 was no one's affair but their own, and I am glad they 

 made the choice they did. 



I was afraid that, in such a public place some mis- 

 creant would break up the nest before I could get 

 photographs. Bright and early the next morning, the 

 first day of July, I drove down there, and was delighted 

 to find everything all right. The mother was incubat- 

 ing, but she would not let me walk up to her with the 

 camera. So I set it up on the tripod reasonably near 

 the nest, and went off a little way with the thread. 

 After some hesitating and flying angrily at the camera, 

 the bird decided that it would not hurt her, and settled 

 down upon her eggs. Of course I "got" her, and after 

 this she would come back almost at once, and I soon 

 had as many pictures of her as I wished, in all sorts of 

 positions. While I was working, an express train 



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