Photographing Birds and their Young 179 



they are nearly to this condition and can perch 

 with safety in the surrounding branches. The 

 ground breeders and those that build in the low 

 bushes desert their nests, on the other hand, as 

 soon as they can struggle out, and when they are 

 once gone it is difficult to find them among the 

 long grass and low herbage. 



Now is the time, as I have already said, 'when 

 your patience will be tried to the utmost, but by 

 perseverance you will nearly always win. An 

 experience which I had with a young and old 

 vireo adequately illustrates the troubles which 

 you will have. I 

 had but one of the 

 young ones, all the 

 rest had escaped 

 me, and it took me 

 nearly an hour to 

 make that one stand 

 where I wished him. 

 Finally I had him 

 posed to my satis- 

 faction and, after 

 waiting for nearly 



two hours, had the Young Downy Woodpeckers . 



pleasure of seeing 



the old bird approach with some food in her 

 mouth. My pleasure was short lived, however, 

 for she paused on a twig some little distance 



