staff] the meadow LARK 137 



devoted father. His nest was made of dry grasses in a cavity 

 in a fence post about three feet from the ground. The five young 

 were taken out of the nest cavity; a stick was then wedged into 

 it horizontally, and the baby Bluebirds were posed upon it in 

 a row. The camera was then placed about three feet away. The 

 parents flew about excitedly for about half an hour before they 

 gained courage enough to approach their home. Finally their 

 solicitude for their young overcame their fear of the camera and 

 the father bird, who proved to be the braver of the two, came 

 to pay a visit to his offspring. Finding them all safe and sound, 

 he was reassured, and started out at once on a foraging expedi- 

 tion. In the meantime the young became restless and four of the 

 five fluttered to the ground, leaving a single, lone baby Bluebird 

 upon the stick. As the figure shows, this youngster had either 

 fallen asleep or lost his appetite, since he doesn't seem to care 

 as much for the fine big grasshopper as a real active young 

 Bluebird should. 



Not all adult birds are as easily photographed as the Killdeer 

 and Bluebird just described, and even these results were obtained 

 only after considerable effort. The nest must be found first, 

 and this, at least in the case of the Killdeer, is no small under- 

 taking. Then the apparatus must be arranged for the picture 

 and finally an abundant supply of patience is necessary while 

 waiting for the parents to return to their nest. Besides all this, 

 the shutter doesn't always work properly when desired and the 

 bird may move rapidly at the exact moment when the snap is 

 made, leaving only a blurred image on the plate. Each subject 

 has difficulties of its own to be overcome, and this fact taxes 

 the ingenuity of the photographer and adds incentive to the un- 

 dertaking. How certain difficulties were overcome will be ex- 

 plained in the next installment of this paper. 



(to be continued IX THE MAY NUMBER.) 



The Meadow Lark 



Sweet is his call at morn, Clear is his evening call. 



When in the eastern sky When from the darkling west 



Fair golden day is born. Xight's silent shadows fall, 



Then from the fields his cry 1-^olding a world at rest; 



Welcomes the dawning day ; Then in his homeward flight 



Speeds it upon its way ; He bids the world good-niglit I 



Franklin, Indiana. George B. Staff. 



