CONCEALMENT. 69 



sphere of usefulness to one class of subject, the 

 bulk and cost rule them quite out of the question. 



A Hide of Branches. 



Sometimes the hide may be furnished by an 

 object already standing near the nest, as a hollow 

 tree, a building or a boat, but such conveniences 

 are so seldom found in the right place, and when 

 present so naturally suggest themselves, that they 

 need not be considered further here. More fre- 

 quently a hide may be fashioned with branches, 

 sods or rocks, or any other natural materials 

 at hand. When about to make a hiding-place 

 in the fields, one's thoughts instinctively turn 

 to leafy branches as the natural wherewithal 

 with which to build, but as a matter of fact 

 for all work at close-quarters, a more unsuitable 

 material could hardly be conceived. Its great 

 and vital drawback is its lack of density. Layer 

 after layer of branches may be piled on the 

 screen, and still on every side there remain ugly 

 chinks through which the bird can detect our 

 slightest movement. Only those who have made 

 use of such a leafy hide for work at close- 

 quarters will realise how much time and patience 

 is required to block up all the little holes, and 

 how bulky is the finished article. Of course, 

 for the comparatively slight screen needed when 

 working the camera from a distance by a line, 



