WHAT I HAVE DONE WITH BIRDS 



sized hand-mirror, searched the back of the tunnel. Just as I 

 was despairing, there was thrust suddenly into the light a great 

 scarred beak, the biggest eyes I ever had seen in the head of a 

 bird of that size, and a flaring crest. The whole thing looked so 

 uncanny as it flashed sharply on my vision that I jumped until 

 I dropped the mirror and slid down into the frog-pond. But I 

 didn't mind that. I had a brooding Kingfisher, the bird of an- 

 cient mystery, and an object of tradition in all time; whether 

 eluding naturalists of Greece, controlling the weather of Italy or 

 driving away evil luck and devils in Germany. I confess the 

 brooding bird looked like a devil to me back there in the dark, 

 and as she rushed from the nest and headed for the river, the 

 rattle she rolled was as uncanny a sound as I ever heard from the 

 throat of any bird, save only the loon. 



What to do was the question. Go after a man and have him 

 dig in to the back of the nest? That would give a picture of the 

 eggs, and no doubt destroy the nest and drive aw'ay the birds. 

 Wait until the young hatched and try for a picture of them? That 

 seemed the most likely to yield best results, for surely when the 

 old were feeding they would not desert the young, even if the 

 nest were opened at the back. Then the babies could be pictured 

 while the old ones were away, and carefully replaced, and then, 

 too, there was every chance that, with set cameras, shots at the old 

 birds could be taken as they entered and left the nest. So I de- 

 cided to wait. That day the bushes were carefully straightened 

 and my tracks covered when I left. Also arrangements were 

 made with Mr. H ale's farmer, plowing in the adjoining field, to 

 keep an eye on the pit, and drive away small boys. 



After that I haunted that location. I was there every day 

 and, by a morning of the second week of June, with my mirror I 

 caught two little Kingfishers peering into the light. Then I went 

 after help. The earth was so hard that when a big strong man 



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