Photographing Birds Nests 151 



chestnut bur near an ovenbird's nest will show 

 that it is built in the woods, and a clover head by 

 the side of a bobolink's home will tell any one 

 that the lush clover fields are the places in which 

 this bird delights to breed. Thus the judicious 

 introduction of new objects in the immediate sur- 

 roundings of the nest is, as I have said, entirely 

 permissible, and they not only serve the purposes 

 I have stated, but also greatly enhance the beauty 

 of the picture. 



As for the size that the image of the nest 

 should be, that is a matter for the judgment of 

 the operator. I, myself, do not favor the nest 

 occupying too much of the plate, for I think that 

 the more of the surroundings that are shown the 

 better, so long as the nest shows large enough to 

 bring out clearly the details of its construction 

 and the markings on the eggs. To show dis- 

 tinctly the shape and markings of the eggs is im- 

 portant, for they must be capable of showing for 

 themselves that they belong in the nest and are 

 not merely any eggs photographed in any nest. 



When it comes to photographing the nests of 

 the tree builders, especially those that build in 

 the very tallest trees, the hawks, crows, eagles, 

 etc., the problem immediately becomes much 

 more difficult and, in many instances, unsolvable. 

 Many times it is necessary, however, to work in 

 the tree-tops, and much good work has already 



