28 PHOTOGRAPHY FOR BIRD-LOVERS, 

 disadvantage in doing so, but when a truer repre- 

 sentation of the nest-surroundings is required, 

 then it is imperative that the camera be kept as 

 near to the ground and as horizontal as possible. 

 It is a little thing, but a low view-point is the whole 

 secret of securing those charming pictures which at 

 once convey an idea of the bird's home and its 

 surroundings, immediate and more distant, and 

 which, to the photographers, vividly recall some 

 lonely wood or wild open shore, and to the less for- 

 tunate at least convey a true impression of the 

 bird's dwelling-place. 



Wind-Screens. 



Among the ground-nests, those like the Corn- 

 crake's, built amid long grass or any flimsy vege- 

 tation, give much trouble if the day is at all windy. 

 At times, by patience and waiting for a lull, a 

 satisfactory exposure may be made, but as a rule 

 the lulls are not long or absolute enough to allow 

 the leaves to come to rest. There are always some 

 leaves or blades of grass that seem to take a delight 

 in dancing in the smallest breeze, and these should 

 be at once removed or, better still, tied back. 

 It is possible to split an exposure up into 

 two or three parts, giving just as much 

 each time as a temporary lull allows, but 

 great care is needed lest the camera move a 



