THE NESTING SEASON 93 



or around the house, where one can do considerable 

 watching, it is a good idea for one to scatter possible 

 nesting material in the shape of bits of cotton, cloth, 

 or yarn, and various birds may carry it off, thus mak- 

 ing it possible to trace them to their nests. 



A little judicious inquiry is often an excellent means 

 of finding desirable nests. I do not hesitate to ask 

 any farmer or boy whom I meet afield if he has seen 

 any interesting birds or knows of any nests, explain- 

 ing my purpose, that I do not wish to rob them, only 

 to study the birds and take photographs. In this 

 way many a desirable nest has come to me with little 

 effort, which otherwise I should not have found 

 such nests as those of hawks and owls, woodcock, 

 wood duck, dusky duck, quail, ruffed grouse, meadow- 

 lark, and many others. People living and work- 

 ing in the country run across such things, especially 

 in cutting timber or brush and in mowing. A little 

 courtesy will often be repaid many fold. 



In open fields or meadows, where a number of 

 kinds of birds are liable to be nesting, it is an excel- 

 lent plan to beat over the ground systematically, on 

 general principles, trying to flush birds from their 

 nests. A good time to do this is in the evening or in 

 wet weather when birds are almost sure to be sitting. 

 More ground by far can be covered if one can secure 

 help, perhaps from a boy, and drag a long rope be- 

 tween them over the grass. As the rope comes 

 swishing over the head of the sitting bird, in most 

 cases it will flush, and reveal the whereabouts of the 



