SOME GARDEN BIRDS 



through them and give the eggs a pinky 

 warm shade impossible to describe. 



One spring I found a clutch of these beautiful 

 wee eggs in their domed nest on the bank of 

 the kitchen-garden hedge, so quickly had the 

 bird photography tent up, and, as soon as the 

 birds had got accustomed to it, tried to take 

 some photographs of them. They did not 

 mind in the least the noise of my shutter 

 going off, nor did the rattle of a slide being 

 closed bother them a bit. I took one picture 

 of the hen going into the nest, and then 

 could not get her to come out again until I 

 left the tent, and even when she saw me step 

 into the open she was not really frightened 

 or in any hurry to leave her precious eggs. 

 Indeed they were a most charming and con- 

 fiding pair, and once the young ones were 

 hatched they went backwards and forwards 

 with food without any regard whatever to any 

 noises I might make in my hiding-place. 

 They worked as hard as my wagtail friends, 

 if not harder, for whereas the wagtails had had 

 but five young they had seven to provide for. 

 It was chiefly small green caterpillars that were 

 brought, and gave one some idea of the great 

 good that is done by these small insect-eating 



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